Expert guides on appraisals, agreed value, claims, transit, inventory, and everything in between — because complex coverage decisions deserve clear answers.
Every guide is written by specialist brokers with real experience placing fine art policies. No generic advice — only what collectors actually need to know.
A purchase receipt is not an appraisal. Learn the difference between insurance value, fair market value, and replacement cost — and how to find a USPAP-compliant appraiser.
ACV policies depreciate claims. Art appreciates. See the worked example of what this means at claim time on an $80,000 painting — and why agreed value is non-negotiable.
Step-by-step: what to do in the first 24 hours after theft or damage, how conservators and adjusters interact, and what to expect over the following three months.
From packing standards to museum facility reports to international customs carnets — how coverage works while your art is away from home.
A thorough inventory is the foundation of every insurance claim. Here is exactly what each record should contain, and how to keep it safe, current, and useful.
When a homeowners rider stops being adequate, what questions to ask a broker, how to read a policy schedule, and how to keep coverage current as your collection grows.
Bite-sized insights from specialist brokers — the facts that change how collectors think about protecting their collections.
Standard homeowners policies impose sub-limits on fine art, antiques, and collectibles that frequently top out between $1,500 and $5,000 per item. A single mid-market painting almost certainly exceeds this. Specialist policies schedule each work at its full agreed value with no per-item cap.
Art markets move. An appraisal from 2019 may significantly understate — or in some markets overstate — the current replacement cost of a work. Most specialist policies require a current appraisal to enforce the agreed value at claims time. Stale valuations lead to settlement disputes.
A disproportionate share of fine art losses happen during packing, loading, transport, and installation. Check whether your policy provides worldwide transit coverage as standard, or whether you need to arrange a separate certificate. Some homeowners riders exclude transit entirely.
At claim time, condition matters enormously. A short video walkthrough of each work — narrating existing condition issues, surface texture, and frame damage — provides far richer documentation than still photographs alone. Store video files off-site and in a cloud backup, separate from the works themselves.
Risk passes to the buyer at different points depending on the sale contract. In many auction purchases, the buyer is at risk from the fall of the hammer. Notify your broker before a new work ships, not after it arrives. Adding a work to your schedule takes minutes; replacing coverage after an uninsured transit loss is impossible.
An independent specialist broker has access to multiple markets — Chubb, AXA Art, Berkley One, Vault, and others — and can match your specific collection profile to the best policy. A carrier's direct agent can only offer that carrier's products. At claim time, the difference in advocacy is significant.
Tell us about your collection and we'll match you with the right carrier and coverage structure — agreed value, worldwide, no depreciation.
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