How prints and works on paper are appraised

An editioned print is valued as one impression in a stated edition, in a stated market — not as a unique painting that happens to be on paper.

What has to be identified

Medium first, then publisher or printer if known, state if the catalogue raisonne distinguishes states, and the numbered size of the edition. A signature in the plate is not a hand signature. A later restrike is not the lifetime edition.

Condition on paper

Light stain, mat burn, foxing, a trimmed margin, or a sheet laid down on board can move value more than collectors expect. If the work stays framed, the report states whether it was examined out of the frame.

Drawings and watercolors

Unique works on paper are a different market from the prints they sometimes hang beside. For insurance, replacement may mean finding another impression of the same edition. For donation or estate, the definition is fair market value for that impression, in that condition, as of the date.