Rare Book Monthly

Articles - March - 2022 Issue

Hindman Launches Independent Appraisals Division

The Hindman Appraisals Team

The Hindman Appraisals Team

CHICAGO – Hindman has announced the launch of Hindman Appraisals LLC, an independent division, to elevate its offerings to clients by providing independent, impartial and objective appraisal services. This launch follows their critical transition in 2021 to significantly expand Hindman’s appraisal capabilities. Last year alone, Hindman appraised nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in fine and decorative arts, jewelry, collectibles, household contents and other tangible personal property, an 800% increase since 2020. The firm also added a secure appraisal management software program with smartphone apps to streamline cataloging and photographing collections during on-site inspections. Hindman’s Tim Luke will lead this new division as National Director of Appraisals & Valuations.

Luke has also been appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) by the Appraisal Foundation, which is authorized by Congress as the source of Appraisals Standards and Appraiser Qualifications in the United States. The seven-member board is responsible for writing, amending and interpreting the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). This will be Luke’s third year serving on the ASB.

“It has been a tremendous honor to lead a team of specialist appraisers with experience and knowledge,” stated Luke. “Our appraisers are all active participants in the marketplace, which sets us apart from our competitors.”

Appraisal and Valuation Services include:

Professional appraisals are all compliant with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) and prepared for:

  • Estate Tax
  • Gift Tax
  • Charitable Contribution
  • Insurance
  • Appraisals for Corporate Art Collections and Other Tangible Personal Property
  • Divorce
  • Equitable Distribution

Luke, as leader of the Appraisals division, will oversee the core team and collaborate with specialists. Prior to joining Hindman in 2021, Luke, a 32-year veteran of the auction and appraisals industry, served as Executive Vice President and Senior Appraiser at Gurr Johns, where he was focused on providing valuation services, evaluating collection and preparing appraisal reports that comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).


About Hindman Appraisals
Hindman Appraisals performs several hundred USPAP and IRS compliant appraisals a year and has appraised nearly a quarter-billion dollars in fine and decorative arts in 2021, including jewelry, collectibles, household contents and other tangible personal property. The company works closely with Hindman’s 13 regional offices and appraises fine art, decorative arts, jewelry, wine collections, cars, and entertainment and rock-n-roll memorabilia.

About Tim Luke
Tim Luke joined Hindman in 2021, and has over 32 years of auction and appraisal industry experience. Previously an Executive Vice President and Senior Appraiser at Gurr Johns, Luke focused on providing valuation services, evaluating collections and preparing appraisal reports that comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Prior to joining Gurr Johns, Luke established and was President of his own auction, appraisal and events business, TreasureQuest Group, Inc. in South Florida, for 20 years. In this position, he provided USPAP compliant appraisals for divorce, insurance, donations and estates, as well as offering auction and brokerage services of fine and decorative arts, collectibles and jewelry. Luke began his career at Christie’s in New York where he worked for seven years and served as Director of the Collectibles Department and Auctioneer. Tim holds a B.A. from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio and, has earned various appraisal and auctioneer professional designations, and is an AQB certified USPAP instructor.

Luke is an active member of the National Auctioneers Association (NAA) and is an Accredited Member of the International Society of Appraisers (ISA). He is an instructor and serves on the education committees for both organizations and was awarded the Pat Massart Leadership Award from the Certified Auctioneers Institute. Luke appeared as a participating appraiser for the first nine seasons of PBS’ Antiques Roadshow, and as a Co-host and Appraiser on HGTV’s Cash in the Attic, among other media appearances.

About Hindman
Hindman is one of the nation’s leading fine art auction houses connecting cities nationwide to the global art market and providing expertise across all categories, sales channels and price points. Hindman operates more salerooms in the United States than any other auction house and conducts over 140 auctions a year in categories such as fine art, jewelry and watches, modern design, books and manuscripts, couture, furniture and decorative arts, Asian art, Western art, antiquities, and more. Hindman was formed through the acquisition of two premier auction houses, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers (est.1982) and Cowan’s Auctions (est. 1995). Headquartered in Chicago, Hindman is home to over 160 employees, with additional offices in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Milwaukee, Naples, Palm Beach, San Diego, Scottsdale, St. Louis and Washington D.C. Visit hindmanauctions.com for more information.

Rare Book Monthly

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    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
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    Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
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    Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
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    Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
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    December 15, 2025
    Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
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