Re: paleonet Estimating value of paleo collections

[jlipps <jlipps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is not an easy thing to do, depending on numbers and kinds of 
fossils.  It's not worth getting an appraiser which is what a lot of places 
would like.   A simple way is to use a catalog from Carolina Biological 
Supply or Ward's to get values for specimens or an average for classes of 
specimens and use that as a replacement value plus shipping and labor to 
curate it again.  We've struggled with this in the past with our own 
administration.  A teaching collection is at least replaceable with 
suitable, if not the exact same, species.

Others may have different ways of doing this and I'd be interested to see 
what they may have done, so I repost this to PaleoNet.

Jere Lipps
UCMP

At 11:08 AM 10/27/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi folks,
>
>My college is reorganizing our insurance program and has asked me to 
>estimate the value of our fossil collection (primarily a teaching 
>collection). I don't have much experience in this area and was wondering 
>if anyone out there had any advice on how to proceed? I'm especially 
>interested in estimates of teaching collection size and value from other 
>colleges/universities.
>
>Thanks very much for your time,
>Rowan Lockwood
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Regular mailing address:
>Rowan Lockwood
>Department of Geology
>The College of William and Mary
>P.O. Box 8795
>Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
>
>Fed Ex mailing address:
>Rowan Lockwood
>Department of Geology
>The College of William and Mary
>McGlothlin-Street Hall Rm 226
>Williamsburg, VA 23185
>
>Phone: 757/221-2878
>Fax: 757/221-2093
>Email: rxlock@wm.edu
>