Mission & History
Mission
The mission of the Appraisers Association of America is to develop and promote standards of excellence in the profession of appraising through education and the application of the highest form of professional practice, which results in enhancing the visibility and standing of appraisers within the private and professional communities in which they serve.
History
The Appraisers Association of America, established in 1949, is the premier association of personal property appraisers who focus on fine and decorative arts. With a membership of over 900 independent appraisers and affiliated professionals in 100 different areas of specialization, the Appraisers Association's roster of well-established professionals hold the widest range of experience and expertise in their respective fields. Many members are either former curators at major museums or heads of departments at auction houses and many are seen on popular television programs like Antiques Roadshow. Our members work with private and corporate art collections as well as partner with attorneys, accountants, museums, educational institutions, trusts, brokers and insurance carriers. All of our members are required to produce appraisals that are compliant with USPAP, (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice). Members serve public and private collectors alike to deliver independent, ethical, and objective valuations for insurance, estate tax, charitable donation, equitable distribution, and liquidation purposes. The Appraisers Association of America is a 501(C)6.
Early on, the members met monthly in New York at what was then the Belmont Plaza Hotel and hand-typed minutes from a meeting in December 1959 provide insight into the issues and concerns of the members at the time: proceeds from the Antique Show Committee were to benefit the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Cancer Research; Articles III and IV were amended to accommodate changes in the responsibilities of various officers; there were deposits of $1,521.50 that month to the Chemical Corn Bank; and six new applicants were admitted as members. By November 1963, the members were voting to create a Membership Directory, and it was announced that the organization would begin to sponsor courses in the local universities, with members “participating in the teaching of such courses.” Minutes from each meeting were published for distribution to the membership for many years in “The Wise Old Owl,” the newsletter of the Association, which would also announce each forthcoming meeting. The appraisal profession is now just that—a profession and not a trade—with rewards and demands that probably far exceed what the membership could have originally imagined. The Appraisers Association of America has contributed significantly to a wide variety of collaborations with the Internal Revenue Service, The Appraisal Foundation and The Getty Institute, with each project yielding yet another important step in codifying numerous aspects of the appraisal profession.
In 1983, the Appraisers Association of America created The Appraisal Institute of America, a non-profit educational organization 501(C)3, which functions as the educational foundation for our educational programs. Since then, the annual national conference and the monthly lecture series were both established. As of 2016, The Appraisal Institute of America offers the Comprehensive Appraisal Studies Program (CASP) for individuals who are new to the field of appraising.
The Appraisers Association of America continues to serve the arts, legal, and financial communities and private and corporate collectors, with our members providing appraisals of fine art, decorative arts, jewelry, and household contents to the highest industry standards.