University received a 24 volume set of rare books that had not been carefully reviewed by either the donor or the receiver – neither had a sense of its current value. Asked by the University to appraise the gift for insurance purposes, I carefully reviewed each volume, and discovered 44 original historical documents inserted into the last volume. I photographed and researched each document. The resulting appraisal was more than $80,000 greater than the original cost of the books to the donor four years earlier. Therefore the donor’s tax deduction was greater, and the university understood the extent of the value of the donation for insurance purposes. The donor was so pleased the he donated additional documents to the University.
