[NHCOLL-L:2481] RE: valuation of a slide collection

[Bob Glotzhober]

I really know next to nothing about appraisals.  However, let me speak in ignorance.
1. Other than suggesting names of appraisers, I think that needs to be her responsibility not yours.
2. Can the replacement value be considered?  If so, it is not just cost of film and processing, but travel as well?

3. These same issues apply to things like insect specimens of irreplaceable species.  Except those cases where there is a market, there is no real value unless you can count replacement -- which in the case of extinct species may be impossible.  How do you value the holotype of an extinct species for a group that has no trade (which we wish was true for more and more species groups)?

I'm eager to hear other responses to this.


==========================================
Robert C. Glotzhober          614/  297-2633
Curator, Natural History       bglotzhober at ohiohistory.org
Ohio Historical Society
1982 Velma Avenue
Columbus, Ohio  43211-2497


-----Original Message-----
From: Karl Hutterer [mailto:khutterer at SBNATURE2.ORG]
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 11:27 PM
To: NHCOLL-L (E-mail)
Cc: Caroline Grange
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:2480] RE: valuation of a slide collection


About a year ago, we received a donation of more than 10,000
photographic slides as well as travel diaries from the widow of a man
who had spent his life traveling to exotic places to make natural
history collections, principally of birds but also of a diversity of
other things. He traveled, from the 30s through the 60s, in places like
Ethiopia, Afghanistan, India, Madagascar, Ecuador, and Mexico. The bird
collection was donated to us three years ago and is quite valuable.

The widow is convinced that the slide collection is highly valuable as
well and would like to take a tax deduction for it. We have contacted a
variety of appraisers and experts and have been told, not surprisingly,
that the collection represents little monetary value other than the hard
cost of the film and of creating the slides. The donor is very unhappy
about this, and our Development Director would like to accommodate her
as much as possible, because she has made arrangements for other
donations that would, in fact be of great value to us.

I am looking for anyone who might have helpful suggestions about how the
value of this slide collection might be (legitimately) increased.

Karl L. Hutterer
Executive Director
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
2559 Puesta del Sol Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805) 682-4711, ext. 101 phone
(805) 569-3170 fax