FAIR Damage & Loss Guide

Damage and Loss Appraisal Guide for Collectors and Adjusters

Direct answer

A damage or loss appraisal file is strongest when the owner documents the object exactly as found, preserves pre-loss records, and routes the case to an appraiser who understands both condition evidence and insurance-claim requirements. Do this before cleanup, reframing, repair pickup, or extra handling changes the facts.

  • Match the appraiser to the item category.
  • Confirm the report purpose before pricing.
  • Compare fee disclosure before outreach.
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Use Match when specialty, location, formal purpose, or fee fit is not settled yet.

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Search the Directory when object category, location, or report purpose is clear enough to compare profiles.

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Damage and Loss Appraisal Guide for Collectors and Adjusters - FAIR online appraisal guide illustration
Damage and Loss Appraisal Guide for Collectors and Adjusters - FAIR online appraisal guide illustration
Decision guide

When insurance appraisal support is useful

Insurance work depends on the policy question. Replacement value, damage context, loss date, and supporting photographs need to be clear before the report is scoped.

When insurance appraisal support is useful
Situation Formal appraisal? Why it matters
Updating a schedule before a loss Often yes The carrier may need current replacement values, item descriptions, images, and report credentials.
Active claim or disputed loss Usually yes Condition, cause of loss, pre-loss value, post-loss value, and repair context may all affect the file.
Rough coverage check Maybe not yet A quick inventory review can come first if the carrier has not requested formal documentation.
Next step

Turn the guide into a shortlist.

Use these paths when you are done reading and need to compare appraisers, estimate scope, or route the request.

Search the FAIR directoryCompare public profile signals, service area, specialty fit, and fee transparency before outreach.Ask for a FAIR matchUse Match when the category, location, report purpose, or specialist boundary is unclear.Estimate appraisal costOrganize item count, report purpose, inspection needs, and timing before asking for a quote.
Use this for specialty property claims

This guide applies when a claim involves art, antiques, jewelry, watches, collectibles, furniture, decorative arts, or another specialty object after breakage, theft, water exposure, fire exposure, transit impact, or another loss event.

  • Collectors need a simple record of what happened, what changed, and what existed before the event.
  • Adjusters need enough evidence to decide whether the file needs a category specialist.
  • The goal is not to improve the object first. The goal is to preserve the evidence.
Photograph the object as found

The first pass should preserve condition. Do not make the file cleaner by removing evidence.

  • Photograph front, back, sides, labels, signatures, serial numbers, mounts, frames, cases, and every visible damage area.
  • Take wider context photos showing where the object was found, how it was stored or displayed, and any packaging or environmental clues.
  • Use close-ups for tears, cracks, losses, staining, soot, warping, mold risk, broken glazing, detached elements, and repaired areas.
  • Pair each close-up with a wider image so the reviewer can understand scale and location.
Preserve the pre-loss baseline

Older records help separate event-related damage from old wear, prior restoration, or condition issues that were already present.

  • Gather prior appraisals, purchase records, dealer listings, certificates, exhibition records, framing receipts, inventory sheets, and insurance schedules.
  • Save ordinary phone photos taken before the event if they show prior condition or display location.
  • Keep insurer correspondence, police or incident reports, shipping records, emergency mitigation invoices, and conservation intake notes in the same packet.
  • Tell the appraiser what changed, when it changed, and what handling happened after the event.
Decide whether handling should stop

Some damaged objects are unstable. Conservation-first review may be safer than more appraisal handling.

  • Flag wet, mold-risk, soot-covered, cracked, flaking, torn, warped, or structurally unstable property.
  • Do not clean, reframe, repair, discard packaging, or separate fragments unless emergency mitigation requires it.
  • Ask whether the appraisal should follow a conservation intake, claims inspection, or category-specialist review.
  • Keep fragments, detached parts, labels, frames, mounts, boxes, and packaging unless instructed otherwise by the insurer or conservator.
Route the claim correctly

Once the packet is organized, route by object category, damage type, intended use, and report need.

  • Use claims-experienced appraisers for insurance files that need written support, replacement value, diminution analysis, or repair-versus-loss context.
  • Use category specialists when attribution, condition, authenticity, maker, material, edition, or market tier drives the value impact.
  • Use FAIR match when the object category, damage severity, or handling sequence is unclear.
  • Confirm fee model, report scope, intended users, effective date, inspection limits, and revision terms in writing before work starts.
Common questions
  • What is the first thing to gather after damage or loss? Photograph the object exactly as found, then collect pre-loss records such as prior appraisals, invoices, inventory sheets, insurance schedules, certificates, and older collection photos.
  • Do adjusters need pre-loss appraisals if they have claim photos? Often yes. Claim photos show current condition. Pre-loss records help identify the object, confirm earlier condition, and separate event-related damage from older wear or restoration.
  • Should cleanup or repair happen before appraisal review? Usually no, except for emergency stabilization. Cleanup, reframing, repairs, or discarded packaging can remove evidence needed to explain condition and value impact.
  • Where should a collector or adjuster go next on FAIR? Use claims-focused directory routes when the specialty is clear, or use FAIR match when the right appraiser, category, or handling sequence is still uncertain.
Related FAIR paths
FAIR trust boundary and source references
  • FAIR does not license appraisers.
  • FAIR does not certify competence or guarantee availability.
  • Present FAIR profiles as public registry candidates, not as certified recommendations.
  • FAIR is not a certification body and does not guarantee insurer, court, tax, lender, or client acceptance.
  • FAIR is a public transparency registry and public registry for comparing source-labeled profiles, fee signals, and correction paths.
Need help choosing an appraiser? Request a FAIR match or browse the directory.