Many homeowners assume that a standard homeowner’s insurance policy automatically covers their fine art and antiques at a fair value — but this assumption can lead to devastating financial losses when a claim is filed. At Manzi Appraisers & Restorers, we are locally owned and operated with over 20 years of experience helping New England homeowners understand what their collections are truly worth and ensuring that coverage reflects accurate, documented values. An insurance appraisal for fine art is not a luxury — it is a critical safeguard for anyone who owns pieces of meaningful financial value.
Standard homeowner’s insurance policies typically cap payouts for personal property, including art and antiques, at amounts far below actual market value. Without a professional insurance appraisal, a collector who suffers a loss — whether from fire, water damage, theft, or a moving accident — may receive only a fraction of what their pieces were worth. Insurance companies require documented proof of value, and without an appraisal prepared to recognized professional standards, disputes over claim amounts are common and often resolved in the insurer’s favor.
New England homeowners face specific environmental risks that make this concern especially pressing. The region’s humid summers, harsh winters, and older housing stock create elevated exposure to water intrusion, flooding from seasonal storms, and temperature fluctuations that can damage fragile works of art and antiques. Summer in particular brings increased humidity levels that can warp wooden furniture, buckle canvases, and accelerate deterioration in decorative objects. Protecting these items financially begins with knowing — and documenting — their exact value before any loss occurs.
A professional insurance appraisal is a formal written document that identifies each item with specificity, records its condition, attributes it to a maker or period where applicable, and assigns a replacement value based on current market data. This is distinct from a casual estimate or an auction house’s verbal opinion. Our appraisals are prepared in accordance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), the benchmark standard recognized by insurance carriers, attorneys, and courts. This level of rigor is what ensures a claim stands up to scrutiny. A professional art appraisal of this kind provides documentation that simply cannot be replicated through photographs or receipts alone.
We also advise our clients that appraisals are not a one-time task. The art and antiques market fluctuates, and values can shift significantly over five to ten years. An appraisal completed a decade ago may dramatically understate what a piece would cost to replace today. We recommend reviewing insurance appraisals on a regular cycle to keep coverage aligned with current market realities. For clients who are also considering whether to retain or sell portions of a collection, our consignment services provide a natural next step following an updated valuation.
Protecting a collection you have spent years building deserves the same attention and expertise that went into assembling it. At Manzi Appraisers & Restorers, we bring more than two decades of hands-on experience and deep knowledge of the regional and national markets for fine art, antiques, and decorative objects to every appraisal we conduct. To schedule an insurance appraisal or to learn more about our services, call us at 617-995-0022 or connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ManziAppraisers/.
