BZH Appraisal Associates Conducts
Appraisal of Treasures Hidden Since World War II
This year, our firm was chosen to
conduct the kind of appraisal that comes along only once in a lifetime. In the
collection, we found numerous rare
treasures—including master prints, incunabula, rare
books and manuscripts, and etchings from such
masters as Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt, as
well as exceedingly rare botanical prints by Audubon and Pierre-Joseph Redoute. But the collection itself is only
part of the story. It was amassed by a wealthy
family in Europe before World War II, and was
exported to America for its protection during the war. It remained in storage for
decades afterward, until it was donated to a
prominent museum and library after the death
of its most recent owner. The appraisal process took six
months and collaboration with several respected
subjectmatter experts to complete. In the end, our
work won recognition and accolades for its professionalism and efficiency—but
working with such an exceptional collection is a reward unto itself.