Can you help after a loss or damage claim?

A claim is where a vague idea of what a collection was worth stops being good enough. The adjuster needs a report written for them, and the policyholder needs a number that will stand up.

What the valuation covers

• Identification of each item: set, number, variant, and grade and certification number if slabbed
• Pre-loss condition, where records exist to establish it
• Post-loss condition, documented and photographed if the cards still exist
• A value under the policy's own definition, usually replacement value, with the method and data stated

Where pre-loss evidence comes from

The strongest claims have a record made before the loss: insurance documentation, an earlier appraisal, or a documented break's condition sheets. Without one, I work from what exists, such as the owner's photographs, purchase records and the surviving cards, and the report states what could and could not be established.

Working from photographs

I can work from the insurer's or the policyholder's photographs, with that limitation stated in the report. When the cards still exist, a physical inspection is better. Remote work is based on images supplied to me; no physical inspection was performed, and the report says so.

Damage in grading or shipping

If a card was damaged while at a grading company or in transit, the outbound photographs and condition notes from the submission hub are the evidence. I prepare the comparison, and you make the claim.

How it is billed

Claim work is hourly with a stated minimum per claim, quoted in writing before I start. Why claim work is hourly explains why. The fee never depends on the value I reach or on the claim's outcome.

What I do not do

I do not act for either side in negotiating the claim, and I do not sell or broker insurance. The report states the value and how I reached it. What the insurer pays is between you and them. Photographs and records from the claim are kept under the retention and consent policy.