I am a generalist personal property appraiser with 30 years of professional experience in the art and antique industry. From working in an antique shop in Amherst, Massachusetts while I was a student at Hampshire College, to time spent employed by art dealers and a photography museum in New York City, to lecturing and writing about contemporary art and the history of photography while in graduate school at the University of New Mexico, I always knew I wanted a career involving the business of art.

 

After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, I accumulated ten years of auction house experience, beginning on the loading dock as a receiver of furniture, fine art and carpets for an international auctioneer, and ending as a generalist appraiser and a specialist in furniture and decorative arts for the same company. I have worked independently since 2009, providing accurate and objective valuations of thousands of unique items annually. 

 

I am certified by the Appraisers Association of America in the appraisal of household contents, a broad category that typically includes furniture, decorative arts such as porcelain, silver and glass, textiles like carpets and tapestries, and fine arts including paintings, prints, photographs and bronzes. I have also located and worked with other professional experts to appraise numerous unusual or special items and collections, including but not limited to studio ceramics, dog paintings, African, Oceanic, PreColumbian and Native American art, duck decoys, antique carpets, wine, arms and armor, jewelry, handbags, books and manuscripts, vintage automobiles, boats and even an airplane. For appraisals requiring additional assistance with the fine art, I am pleased to partner with McDonough Fine Art Appraisals, LLC.

 

In addition to individuals serving as estate executors or seeking to insure their collections, my clients include financial institutions and advisers, corporate collections, museums and historical societies, accountants and probate attorneys.

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Rachel Goodenow, AAA