During October, the highlight of our Chapter marketing activities was a presentation by Georgie and Pamela for the San Diego County Bar Association. The topic was Unique Estate Appraisals-Valuing National Treasure and Native American Indian Items.

Georgie and Pamela put on a very professional talk complete with a power point presentation and a handout with comprehensive references to further information. The event was well attended by attorneys, and we got the opportunity to talk up ASA and provide copies of our roster; as well as let them hear firsthand the type of expertise that is available from our organization. For those of us who attended, it was also a great opportunity to network with attorneys.

Please take the time to thank Pamela and Georgie for helping promote our Chapter and congratulate them on a job well done.

Kim Ufford, AM

Please welcome these new applicants to the Chapter!

Lydia Thompson is a scholar and former curator of Asian Art.

Natasha Martinez is an art historian and former curator of Art at the California Center for Art in Escondido.

Philip Gill is an Art History student at UCLA. He was a writer and editor until following this new passion.

Native American
Head Dress

Georgie Stillman & Pamela Bensoussan Speak at San Diego Bar Association Meeting

On October 27, 2005, Georgie Stillman and Pamela Bensoussan, accredited senior members of ASA and local chapter officers, presented a lecture to the San Diego County Bar Association Financial Professionals Committee. The presentation topic was “Unique Estate Appraisals and Valuing National Treasure and Cultural Property Items”.

Attorneys were cautioned on exercising due diligence in determining legal title to certain types of estate assets. Several questions must be asked and answered. Does the asset belong to a category of items that are illegal to own, purchase, or possess? Where do you look to find out about conventions and trade laws that restrict ownership of cultural property and national treasure items?

When legal title can’t be determined, the value and ownership of an asset is in question. For example, if an item cannot be legally sold because it was originally looted by Nazis, pilfered from ancient grave sites, or made from migratory bird feathers, then its market value cannot be easily established and it may be subject to seizure or ownership claims by foreign states. Several more hot-button issues effecting title were explored such as:

• illegal traffic in Native American Indian sacred and ceremonial objects
• traffic in ivory or other products impacting endangered or protected species
• colonial art stolen from provincial churches in Mexico
• illegally exporting works of modern artists who have been declared national treasures
• ownership claims by the federal government claiming ownership to art commissioned in the 1930s by the WPA (Works Projects Administration)

In a Power Point presentation participants learned about broad categories of items that are considered to be cultural property and the many laws pertaining to them. They also received handouts containing numerous resources and tools that are available to conduct further research.

The following is a photo of some volunteers at ASA booth of the California Bar Association Conference held in San Diego.

Left to right: Elizabeth Yochim, Paul Drooks, Yulia Grossman, Rich Engstrom & Georgie Stillman

Watching our Traffic Grow !

* Bringing more clients to your door....

In October we began marketing our website through the Google AdWords program. When a search is done on related keyword phrases, our site will be listed in the 'Sponsored' section of the Google search results. Last month searchers clicked on our ad 19 times and viewed the special 'Locate an Appraiser' pages.

There are separate ads for each discipline and separate related 'landing' pages to better assist the visitor in locating one of our professionals.

Please look but don't click!

We know it may be tempting to see it all work, but PLEASE DON'T CLICK. We pay for this advertising 'per click' and if you click on one of our ads to go to our website, it will eat away at our advertising budget without bringing in new clients.

If you have any comments or questions regarding this program, please contact one of our board members!

Need to Energize? Get Involved!

The Brits have a saying “A Change is as Good as a Rest”. If you think about it, there are many times when you feel tired or bored, and then you go do something completely different – and whamo! You are wide awake and interested! An organization functions much like a person that way. You may have noticed that our San Diego ASA Chapter meetings have been full of energy and enthusiasm lately - a buzz of conversation, laughter, people talking long after the program. Personally I credit this ‘taking it up a notch’ to the many new members we have in attendance. They are talented in their diverse fields of expertise, and they have sought out our Chapter so that they can enhance their professionalism and their career.

And have you noticed some new faces in leadership? This too is a good change - every organization must have a fresh approach, a new element stirring things up, creating some excitement and new interest, in order to remain vibrant and generate enthusiasm.

I encourage ALL our members, and especially those of you new to the San Diego ASA Chapter, to get involved. Your ideas and suggestions for programs and events will be enthusiastically welcomed.

Georgie Stillman, ASA

Valuation of Plant Machinery & Equipment Conference - November 20-23, 2005

This 4th International Conference will be held at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel and Towers. ASA is one of the sponsors of the event, which is organized by the International Plant and Machinery Valuation Conference Committee.

Print Appraising Seminar - December 1-3, 2005 - Phoenix, AZ

This three–day seminar will be using the facilities and reference materials at the office of Corinne Cain, Ltd. As well as the Print Study Room at Arizona State University in nearby Tempe, Ariz. Taught by Corinne Cain, ASA, the seminar will encompass:

• Exposure to various printmaking papers and dating of same common and especially uncommon printmaking techniques to include sophisticated reproductions
• Clues in discerning lifetime impressions versus later versions
• Hands-on inspection of prints both at Corinne’s office and at Arizona State University’s Print Study Room
• Paper conservation issues as they impact the value of prints
• Print catalogue raisonne savvy as well as the inside scoop on Gordon’s and Lawrence’s reference tools
• Identification of the top print dealers in each field: Old Master, German Expressionist, Japanese, Contemporary, Modern

Calendar of Events & Courses

Listing of current events from the ASA website.

What's Planned for 2006 at UC Irvine?

February 23-26, 2006 - PP/GJ201 Intro to Personal Property Valuation
February 27-28, 2006 - SE100PP - USPAP for Personal Property
April 27-30, 2006 - PP/GJ202 - Personal Property Valuation Methodology-Research and Analysis
June 1-4, 2006 - PP308 Appraising Antiques and Decorative Arts
September 14-17, 2006 - PP/GJ203 - Personal Property Valuation--Report Writing
October 12-13, 2006 - PP445 Report Writing Review
October 14-15, 2006 - PP443 Charitable Contributions: Do's and Don'ts
November 2-5, 2006 - PP/GJ204 - Personal Property Valuation--The Legal and Commercial Environment

Special Interest and Connoisseurship Courses 2006

March 18-19, 2006 - PP424 California Art & Design
May 1-2, 2006 - PP420 Silver: Is It Real?
August 12-13, 2006 - PP428 History and Craft of Handmade Oriental/Persian Rugs
September 18-19, 2006 - PP444 Appraiser's Tool Kit: Fakes, Frauds and Reproductions

Members Need Education Units to Reaccredit Their ASA Designation Every 5 Years

Read about the ASA reaccreditation requirements at the ASA website. (To view this information, you must log into the Members Only section, then, in the left column, click on the Reaccreditation link.)

For details about the ASA San Diego Chapter, contact information for Chapter Officers or to locate/contact an ASA designated appraiser to meet your needs, please visit our web site at SanDiegoAppraisers.org For details about the ASA San Diego Chapter, contact information for Chapter Officers .

This newsletter is published (September through June) as a service to the ASA Members and the community it serves. If you would like to receive this publication, please contact Georgie Stillman - 619-563-9000.

Newsletter Editor - Georgie Stillman, ASA
Newsletter Published by G-Force Services