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Personal property appraisals in Pennsylvania for donations, estate tax, divorce, and probate, prepared in accordance with USPAP and IRS requirements. AppraiseItNow appraises antiques, jewelry, fine art, collectibles, and household contents across Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Allentown.
DEFENSIBLE, USPAP-COMPLIANT PERSONAL PROPERTY APPRAISAL REPORTS — QUALIFIED FOR THE IRS, PENNSYLVANIA COURTS, LENDERS, INSURERS, AND MORE.
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Owner & CEO
Joe founded AppraiseItNow to make a certified, USPAP-compliant appraisal as simple to order as anything else online. A former Bain & Company strategy consultant, Joe leads the entire team and specializes in strategy, growth, and the firm's tech capabilities.
Personal Property Appraiser
ISA Accredited Member with 30 years in the trade, from running estate sales and an auction gallery to appraising luxury apparel, furniture, artwork, antiques, and business assets, primarily for IRS tax filings.
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
Third-generation auctioneer and CAGA Certified Appraiser with more than 20 years valuing machinery, equipment, vehicles, business assets, and estates for banks, attorneys, and trustees across the Carolinas.
Personal Property Appraiser
ISA Accredited Member specializing in Asian art, with a Master's from SOAS and a Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art. Ashley chairs the ISA's Antiques, Furnishings, and Decorative Arts committee and appraises for charitable donation, insurance, and equitable distribution.
Client Success Manager
Manages each engagement from the first enquiry to the delivered report, and keeps you posted at every step along the way.
International Society of AppraisersAccredited Member
Certified Appraisers Guild of AmericaCertified Appraiser
The Appraisal FoundationAuthorized by Congress as the source of appraisal standardsAppraiseItNow appraises antiques, fine art, jewelry, silver, trading cards and whole household contents in Pennsylvania for inheritance tax filings, charitable donations, insurance scheduling and equitable distribution, and the same collection often needs more than one of those figures in the same year.
Inheritance tax
Each article on the schedule carries a date of death value supported by completed sales of comparable pieces. We name the value standard and the effective date inside the report itself, and keep the market evidence behind every line, which is what a later review of the return asks to see.
Charitable gifts
What a Pennsylvania donor can claim rests on the state the goods were actually in when the charity took them, so each lot is priced against completed sales of comparable pieces and the reasoning is written into the report where a donor has to be able to produce it. Work needing specialist treatment goes through our Pennsylvania antique and artwork appraisals.
Insurance
Card collections, jewelry and art are scheduled on what a comparable example would cost to buy today in the market a replacement would actually come from. That figure normally sits well above what the same piece brings at resale, which is the reason a rider is written separately from the policy.
Two Pennsylvania assignments cut down to a headline each, one written for a carrier and one for a donor. Everything that could identify the owner stays in the file.
Insurance coverage
High end cards scheduled for coverage, valued from completed sales of comparable examples rather than from the asking prices still posted.
Charitable donation
A projector, its supporting equipment and a film library valued together for the donor’s noncash contribution filing.
Three provisions of the Pennsylvania estates code decide what an inventory has to say, what a family may keep before anything is distributed, and when the court can skip the appraisement.
Inventory
Fair value
as of the date of death, stated in figures opposite each item of a Pennsylvania inventory
Under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3302 the personal representative shall determine and state in figures opposite each item of the inventory its fair value as of the date of the decedent’s death. The inventory itself covers all real and personal estate except real estate outside the Commonwealth, and any party in interest may object to it, which is what makes the evidence standing behind each separate figure worth having on file.
Family exemption
$3,500
in real or personal property a Pennsylvania spouse or household child may retain or claim
20 Pa.C.S. § 3121 lets the surviving spouse, or failing a spouse the children of the same household, or failing them the decedent’s parents of that household, retain or claim real or personal property to the value of $3,500. Choosing which objects fill that allowance means knowing what each of them is worth, and property the decedent specifically bequeathed cannot be used for it while other assets are available.
Small estates
$50,000
of gross personal property is where a Pennsylvania estate can be settled on petition instead
Where someone domiciled in Pennsylvania dies owning property of a gross value not exceeding $50,000, leaving out real estate but counting personal property claimed as the family exemption, the orphans’ court division may direct distribution on the petition of any party in interest, with or without appraisement. The threshold is measured in value, so the contents still have to be priced before anyone knows which side of it an estate falls on.
What Pennsylvania clients say we are known for
Across 23 published Pennsylvania appraisal reviews, every one from a client who paid AppraiseItNow for an appraisal, the three things they raise most often are that they would hire us again, how much research is visible in the report, and how quickly we answer.
Joe and his team were highly responsive and provided strong, well-supported comparisons to justify their appraisal values. The process of uploading photos was smooth and straightforward. We would definitely work with him again for future appraisal needs.
Antiques Appraisal for Personal Use
AppraiseItNow Inc. is the best company I was lucky to find by accident. I was looking for someone to appraise cabinets for a donation to charity. I asked for multiple referrals, called multiple appraisal services, etc., and no one could help me. I found AppraiseItNow and from the moment I started working with them, they were wonderful! Joe guided me on what I needed to send him, what needed to be done and stayed in touch with me the entire time. Their customer service is OUTSTANDING and a welcome surprise in today’s world where good customer service is an anomaly! They returned an appraisal in a timely manner, it was clear, concise, cost-effective and exactly what I needed. They followed up with me multiple times to ensure that I received it and everything was OK. My CPA is also thrilled to have them as an accredited appraisal service he can use for other clients. I rarely leave reviews, but I could not pass giving them 5 stars and I’d give 10 if possible! THANK YOU JOE AND ALL AT APPRAISEITNOW!!👊🏼
Personal Property Appraisal for Charitable Donation
I used AppraiseItNow for the first time last month and I was extremely pleased with the results. I needed an appraisal done for insurance purposes and the level of detail about each of my antique furniture pieces was thorough and very helpful in my being able to get the highest amount possible from my insurance company for the antique items that were damaged. I could see that they spent time making sure that the information she included was correct and current for my antique furniture items in the current market. The team responded to my emails timely to answer any questions I had. I would highly recommend Appraise It Now to get a thorough and professional appraisal done on antique items. I do intend to use them again for other antique furniture and jewelry that I have. Job well done! 😃🤗
Antique Furniture Appraisal for Insurance Claim
It is a pleasure to work with Joe and his team. They communicate every step along the way and made the process simple for us to have more than 35 firearms appraised. It was all done in a timely manner and the final report is easy to understand. I highly recommend their services.
Gun Appraisal for Probate
Joe made the process to have my piece of furniture appraised extremely easy, efficient and quick. My experience was great and I'd recommend AppraiseItNow to anyone looking for an appraisal.
Furniture Appraisal for Insurance Coverage
I asked AppraiseItNow to value a piece of sports memorabilia for purposes of a charitable donation. The item is rarely sold. Their research unearthed an important recent sale of a similar item, which I had not found previously, and which the first appraiser I used had not found either. AppraiseItNow was a good deal more expensive than the first service, but they crafted a detailed report in which I have much more confidence. They also helped me make sure the correct tax forms are used. Thank you!
Sports Memorabilia Appraisal for Charitable Donation
Given the USPAP-compliant nature of AppraiseItNow’s appraisal reports, we prepare our deliverables for major legal, tax, and financial reporting purposes for individual and commercial clients.
Popular uses of our appraisal reports include:
A credible report defines the value question first: the value standard, purpose, effective date, and market level (auction, dealer, or retail), then supports the conclusion with completed transactions. A one-line dollar figure with no methodology is not considered credible by courts, insurers, or the IRS.
Authenticity, condition, rarity, provenance, and current collector demand, each addressed explicitly in a professional report. Original finish and patina matter more than owners expect, and over-restoration or refinishing frequently reduces value rather than adding it.
No. The state's certification regime covers real estate appraisers only, and there is no Pennsylvania license for personal property appraisers. Competence is demonstrated through professional standards and credentials from organizations such as the ISA, ASA, and AAA, which is what our reports are built on.
They are reported at date-of-death fair market value on the REV-1500, due nine months after death, and taxed at the rate matching the beneficiary's relationship (4.5% lineal, 12% sibling, 15% other). Documented appraisals matter because Pennsylvania taxes from the first dollar, with no federal-style exemption.
