Hello folks!

I have a strange request: how and where can I find a reputable appraisal of my D&D collection? I started not too long ago, but I have already spent a fair amount of cash in it. I might be overly protective or conservative, but seeing thousands of $$ sitting around uninsured is not my style.

Not too long ago, stratochamp posted photos of his monstrous collection on this site and I asked the question about insurance. He mentioned a company, and I am sure I can find others. But to get this appraised is not that easy. Let's be honest: at best this is an obscure hobby; at worst, it's crazy as hell. Not a lot of expertise around for this stuff. Are there reputable appraisers for D&D out there?

Mind you, it's gets more complicated: I am in Puerto Rico. I must be one of a handful of D&D collectors here, if there are any others (I have not heard of any; there are no hobby stores here with old D&D stuff; I think there is ONE store that has latest edition AD&D and runs Encounters... ). I have collected baseball cards my whole life, and I can get them appraised and insured here in a second. But, D&D stuff??

I can probably get 95% of the receipts since I started, but this is cost, not value.

I might be willing to ship all my stuff stateside, so somebody can give me an idea of value. But:
1. Who can I trust? I might as well send an empty check instead!
2. Who is reputable enough to have or get the confidence of the insurance company?
3. I have an insurance broker; they might have additional requirements.


Any help or comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Hector.

Thank you for your interest.

But I was hoping that other collectors had already gome down this road and knew appraisers, which is really the main problem here. Insurers are pretty easy to come by. I know plenty of them, especially through my business.

I've asked these questions to my broker, who is researching the issue. Hopefully, he can get me a solution.

Good luck,

Hector.

benjoshua wrote:A cheaper and safer option than mailing your collection which you could employ quickly is to meticulously videotape all of your collection with a running commentary.  You could then mail the videotape to an appraiser who could establish an insurance amount.  

Finally, make sure you give the videotape to a relative you trust or put it in a safe deposit box.  This is a good thing to do around the whole house while you are at it with another videotape.  While the videotape and appraisal may get you less than full value, it's better than nothing.  I'd also ask your insurance company if this plan is feasible and get their response in writing.

It's just an idea.   You do what you want.  

Good suggestion. Appreciate it.

Hector.

It would probably be cheaper for you to fly out an appraiser, than to send all your items away for appraisal...  

Invincible Overlord wrote:It would probably be cheaper for you to fly out an appraiser, than to send all your items away for appraisal...  

You're probably right...though my couple-of-shelves-long collection isn't much...yet!

Hector.