Unsure of what your antique or vintage instrument may be worth? Bring it on down to the Folk. Ellen has been doing appraisals under the auspices of the Folk Music Center and Folk Music Center Museum since 1976.

The Folk Music Center appraises a wide variety of acoustic instruments and has a large bibliographic reference library and access to many online data bases.

Appraisals are conducted to provide a statement of fair market value* and or replacement value for insurance purposes.

*Fair market value is defined by the Income Tax Regulation 1.170-1(c) as "The price at which the property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither being under compulsion to buy or sell and both having a reasonable knowledge of all relevant facts." The fair market value is not determined by a forced sale, nor is the fair market value being determined by a sale within a marketplace other that that in which the item would most commonly be sold to the public, i.e. the end-user, taking into consideration the location of the items whenever possible.