Appraisals

We offer appraisal services for insurance purposes and for donations. We appraise books, letters and manuscripts on an hourly basis (never on the value of the material) plus expenses. We fully recognize our obligation to be fair, impartial and accurate to the best of our abilities.

The senior appraiser is Allen Ahearn, co-author of Book Collecting: A Comprehensive Guide, first published by Putnam's in 1989, revised and enlarged in 1995, and again in 2000; Collected Books: The Guide to Values, first published in 1991, revised and enlarged in 1997, and again in 2002; and over 170 price guides for individual authors under the Author Price Guide series. (Collected Books is used as a reference by most booksellers and appraisers.) The compilation of these books and guides, as well as the day to day buying and selling of scarce and rare books for the Quill & Brush puts Mr. Ahearn in the position to make accurate estimates of fair market values for books, letters and manuscripts.

Mr. Ahearn graduated from the University of Maryland in 1960 with a major in English Literature and a minor in Mathematics. He earned a Masters in Business Administration from George Washington University in 1970. He is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, serving on the Board of Governors for four years; and is a member and was the first President of the Washington Area Booksellers' Association.

Rate - $200 per hour or $1,500 per day.