A LIFETIMES DEDICATION TO ANTIQUES

John Scherz was born in 1951 in Cincinnati, Ohio , and began his antique career in 1956 carrying cowbells, brass candlesticks, and other unbreakable metallic items, to help set up for the fabled Early Brothers Memorial & Labor Day auctions. John’s father Clyde was an avid collector of virtually any item from antiquity, including Egyptian amulets, Etruscan Terra Cotta, Roman jewelry, Italian Renaissance Illuminations, and a diverse group of glass, metal and porcelain items from the Elizabethan, Colonial, Victorian and Depression eras.

The Scherz collectibles included antique automobiles (a 1919 T-Ford, a 1926 Ford middle door coach, and 1 of only 5 ever made – 1932 Pierce Arrow / Silver Arrows with the new side valve V-12 special racing engine, this one having been owned by the President of Pierce Arrow, Myron Forbes). Over 40 years, Clyde and John had provided Emily Scherz, wife and mother, with one of the finest sets of late 19th century German bisque snow babies anywhere, and a Rare museum quality set of the early, hand painted, Royal Vienna Demitasse cups and saucers, as well as Meissen figurines, and Limoges China.
 
Over the last 30 years, John has actively collected Flow Blue English Semi-Porcelain, Antique and vintage Cranberry and Vaseline glass, military regalia, and during that time has developed two outstanding libraries; one is a 4,000 + volume world class military collection, and the other is a large (~ 1700 volumes) and diverse library for the study and authentication of antiques, and singular vintage items. Johns’s marriage to Candice Schutte brought the collecting of Wedgwood Queensware, Victorian epergnes, miniature figurines, contemporary art glass, American pottery and singular candlesticks to the household menu.

John and the $50,000 AAP library are located in Killen, Alabama, which acts as the nerve center for research from the associates. AAP stands ready to qualify your treasures, whether it be a single item, or an entire museum.

WELCOME TO THE COLLECTOR'S CORNER
The Collector's Corner is an exclusive service of the Accurate Appraisals Partnership. Collector's Corner will be published weekly, and will contain short, yet fascinating articles pertaining to all manner of collectibles, services, clubs, and special eclectic auctions. Articles will be written by various expert collectors and authors, with a number of them being members of the AAP. We hope these articles will be both fun as well as informative, helping to enhance your antique experience.

SERVICE & COMMERCIAL TERMS:
The AAP service format is really very simple. Before beginning any work, we like to communicate with the client, and qualify his / her needs & expectations. All jobs are given a precursory examination, in order to reasonably estimate the time necessary for completion. We require well taken digital photographs of items in question with several perspectives, including full height side views, rims, close ups of hand painted decorations, and most importantly, bottom views detailing any and all makers' marks or stamps. If the marks are too faint to photograph, then a concise description of the form of the marks will often help us achieve a positive identification. Along with photos, a basic size needs to accompany all inquiries. A contact phone number is beneficial in facilitating the qualification of fine heirlooms, in case of special questions. On rare occasions, when digital photos may not be available (as with some insurance claims) our partners have had success in the identification of furniture, lamps and collectibles such as dolls, by the use of SLR or instant photos.

The AAP can also evaluate jobs on a pre-bid contract figure basis, when third parties such as bank trust managers, insurance adjusters, or attorneys are involved as designated estate agents. Final appraisals are generated through Email with the appropriated validating photos included. If hard copy is required, it will be furnished in Quality lazer jet mode on special heavy grade paper. Small appraisals will be delivered in a flexible plastic binding, while large appraisals will be supplied with solid cover three ring binders. All bindings, copies & mailings will be charged at cost plus a minimal 10% service fee.

The AAP offers its outstanding service at a truly remarkable price. Our basic rate for research is only $25 / hour, while the compilation of data and professional report completion are accomplished at only $15 / hour. As an example, a diversified estate in the $500,000 range requiring 100 hours of research and 20 hours of finishing would cost a mere $2,800, or just over 1/2 of 1 % of the estate value. Small and medium sized appraisals routinely bracket between 1.5% - 2% of the total value. Payment may be made either thru Paypal, or by certified check or money order.