Proudly Serving Connecticut & Hamden & Hampshire County, Massachusetts.
Connoisseurship, Estate Appraisal & Sales / Liquidation
The practice of connoisseurship fosters the ability to discriminate and judge artworks based on quality. Some argue this ability is inborn and will only blossom if the talent is practiced. Therefore, connoisseurs acquire the skill to judge the quality of an artwork quickly and intuitively by exercising their innate abilities. Connoisseurs, artists, and historians will continue to spend their lives cultivating an elusive and mysterious skill they can only begin to define. Without a firm grasp of Connoisseurship one cannot be effective at doing Estate appraisals, sales, auctions or liquidations.
Our President, CEO & estate sale appraiser, liquidator, Jonathan Carofino, M.A., took the year long Sotheby's American Arts Course in 1997 & 1998. This education granted him a much deeper understanding of connoisseurship and appraisal, sales, liquidation techniques which is usually lacking in other estate liquidation services. In a Farmington, CT estate, Jonathan discovered a fine silver sugar bowl and cover with the Mark of Jacob Hurd, Boston Circa 1740. This magnificent silver sugar bowl with coat of arms, that had been identified as "silver plated trash" by the appraiser that the Estate Lawyer had hired, was thrown into a box labeled "Silver Plated" and was sent back to the Farmington home as "junk". Jonathan, the appraiser that the home owner hired, identified and rescued the bowl and took it to Christie's Auction House, where expert negotiations began. Christie's appraised the bowl for between 25,000 - 35,000 USD and it ultimately sold for $27,500 in the New York January 22, 2016 Important American Furniture, Folk Art and Silver Auction. Most estates do not have items this rare, but they all have treasures waiting to be discovered if you hire the right appraiser that has the expertise and knowledge to identify those treasures and knows how to sell them correctly, for the highest dollar value. A phone call or text could make all the difference between success and failure. Don't make the costly mistake others have made. Carefully research and find an expert appraiser the first time.
Education & Certification
