Media & Articles

Often associated with chair making, Sam Maloof is a pioneer in the field of hand-crafted furniture. At Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park, there is an exhibition of Maloof’s work. Whether you are familiar with his work or not, on display are pieces of his ranging from tables to cradles to music stands to his famous rocking chairs. 

Have the New Star Wars Movies Killed the Collectible Toys Market? One of the topics that have been actively discussed in the collector community over the past 10 years is the influence of the most recent movies on the Star Wars collectibles market. Ever since Star Wars first showed in 1977, a fever took over this planet.

The other day I was on an appraisal looking at various pieces of sterling silver for a client. As my client was going through her cabinets and bringing me pieces of her silver collection, I noticed that she set aside a few interesting pitchers and mugs. I asked her about these pieces and she replied, "Don’t worry about those, they are only pewter. I like the look of them but they aren’t worth anything."

Golf isn’t just a hobby these days, with the increasing popularity of the sport comes increasing popularity in collecting golf related memorabilia. With the onset of Tiger Woods and the advent of advanced technologies in golf equipment, many people are interested in discovering the roots of the sport and collecting its memorabilia.

The legal environment can be intimidating to appraisers who aren’t used to defending their reports or who share a general inhibition about being in the limelight. The tips and stories shared by our panelists served to help demystify the subject and to build confidence among those just beginning or contemplating taking on litigation assignments. The tips were useful even to non-litigation appraisers who seek to generally improve their professionalism.