Chicago Antique Appraisers
1511 W. Howard St. Chicago, IL
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Accredited Chicago antique appraisers & estate experts.

Serving Chicagoland over 50 years for Estate, Insurance, Donation  Appraisals

✓  ISA Accredited Staff (International Society of Appraisers)

✓  Complimentary consultation

✓  USPAP and IRS compliant

✓  Expert level experience in assessing valuables

✓  Licensed, accredited and local – 50 years in business

✓  A team of dedicated professionals working on your behalf

Send photos for a fast estimate (usually same day)

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload You can upload up to 7 files.
**Due to high demand we respond fastest to submissions with photographs**

Prefer texting? Send photos to 312-316-1228 

Chicago Antique Appraisers
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Estate & Probate Appraisals

We provide documented valuations for individual objects and entire collections. Services range from a single heirloom to complete estate contents throughout Chicago and surrounding communities.

Insurance & Claims Appraisals

Accurate valuations for coverage, loss, and damage claims.
Decades of experience and accepted by major insurance providers.

What Is It Worth? (Single Items)

We understand that making decisions about valuable possessions can be complex. Our team specializes in providing accurate and reliable valuations for antiques, jewelry, artwork, and collections.

Charitable Donation Appraisals

We base every appraisal on real market data—verified auction results, collector demand, and current selling trends. Our valuations reflect what items actually sell for, not estimates or guesswork.

Resale & Auction Evaluation

Decades of hands-on experience across antiques, fine art, jewelry, and decorative objects. We identify value in pieces often overlooked or misjudged by general buyers and estate sale companies.

Independent, Unbiased Opinions

We pride ourselves on offering unbiased opinions. Our process ensures objective valuations because we never purchase the items we appraise. This commitment allows us to provide fair and accurate assessments, free from any potential conflicts of interest.

How We Identify Value in Items Others Often Overlook. 

Resources that go beyond the internet

Our Chicago antique appraisal practice focuses on careful identification, research, and market analysis of historic objects and personal property.

Many items dismissed as decorative or sentimental often possess measurable collector value when properly examined. We evaluate antiques, vintage clothing, jewelry, art, and decorative objects using auction records, comparable sales, and material analysis to determine accurate market value.

Serving Chicago and surrounding suburbs, we provide professional appraisal services for estates, insurance documentation, charitable donation, and resale planning.

Exclusive Auction Records

Every Chicago antique appraisal is supported by auction comparables and verified sales records. We analyze recent auction results, collector demand, and condition factors to determine fair market value based on real market behavior rather than estimates or guesswork.

ISA Certified Appraisal Practice

Appraisals are prepared using accepted professional standards and established valuation methodology. Our reports are suitable for estate planning, probate, equitable distribution, insurance coverage, and donation documentation.

Local Chicagoland Service

We provide Chicago antique appraisals throughout the city and nearby suburbs with both on-site visits and remote evaluations. Clients include families, collectors, attorneys, executors, and insurance representatives needing clear, documented valuations.

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What you can expect

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Appraisals in a few easy steps

Get in Touch

First, contact us to schedule your antique appraisal. Clients may submit photographs for a preliminary review or arrange an on-site appointment. We work with families, collectors, attorneys, and executors throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs.

Evaluation

Second, the property is examined and documented, including identification, condition, age, and relevant market comparisons. Research includes auction records and comparable sales to determine fair market value for the intended use of the appraisal.

Recieve Appraisal

Third, you receive a professional written appraisal report suitable for estate settlement, probate, insurance coverage, charitable donation, or resale planning. Reports clearly document valuation methodology and supporting market data.

Expert personal property valuations in every category.

Our extensive experience in the antiques field enables us to expertly assess any collection.

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Ancient Art & Antiquities

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Contemporary Art

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Glass & Porcelain

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Paintings & Multiples

CHICAGO-ANTIQUES-VARIOUS

 

Fine Jewelry

 

How we’re different.

LIQUIDATORS

  1. Lots of hidden fees
  2. Uneducated pricing of valuables
  3. Little or no customer reviews
  4. Unlicensed activity

Lost Eras Appraisers

Fully licensed, accredited and insured
Hassle free and pleasant experience
No high pressure
sales tactics
Industry-wide
competitive rates
No hidden fees
Competent and talented professionals
real world experience
Superior knowledge
in pricing your valuables

DO IT YOURSELF

  1. Intense crowds and pressure
  2. Hard to value items 
  3. Weeks of work and setup
  4. Potentially hazardous situations in home

FAQs

Question not here?

 

Professional Ethics Statement

Our Promise to you

At Lost Eras we live by the motto “Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.” Our personal and professional ethics help us to pick the legitimate option in sensitive situations. We answer all questions with honesty and forthrightness. We will never take advantage of someone for momentary monetary gains because we believe in a greater universal kinship. 

 

Offering a full line of services.

1. Art and Antique Collections

We provide Chicago estate appraisals for complete households and collections. Services are commonly requested by executors, trustees, and families needing documentation for probate, inheritance distribution, or tax reporting. Entire estates, partial estates, and specialized collections are evaluated.

3. Insurance and Damge Claims

Appraisals are frequently required for insurance scheduling, coverage adjustments, and damage or loss claims. We provide documented valuations describing the object, its age, and appropriate replacement or market value for insurance purposes.

2. Single Items

Individual objects can also be evaluated. We appraise paintings, jewelry, antique furniture, vintage clothing, watches, and decorative arts. Many clients simply want to know what an item is and what it is worth before deciding whether to insure, keep, or sell.

4. Estate Planning and Donations

We prepare appraisal reports used for charitable contribution documentation, planned giving, and estate planning. Reports provide the valuation information necessary for record keeping and professional review.

 

Use our connections to find the highest paying buyers.

What if you need help selling the items we appraise? Our long history in the antique and auction business can be put to work. We have helped many clients find the most appropriate avenues for sale. 

 

Testimonials

What our clients have to say.

Chicago Antique Buyers

We buy antiques all over the country but specialize in Chicago as well.

Vintage Clothing

We are one of the biggest buyers of clothing in the midwest. 

Estate Sale Services

We run full service estate sales online, or at the home

Chicago Antique Buyers