ITEMS OF VALUE - Key Persons
Dr. Ford is an independent registered full-time professional appraiser of movable property (generally referred to as "personal property" but also encompassing corporate, museum and government-owned items). He began appraising in 1978, becoming a member of Mid-Am (Mid-Atlantic Appraisers Association), and formed his own company, Items of Value, in 1981. Ten years later, Items of Value became an operating corporation, involving other registered appraisers.
Dr. Ford does appraisal work throughout the United States as well as internationally on behalf of individuals, insurance companies, attorneys, corporations, federal government agencies, and foreign governments. His work includes appraising, consulting, expert witness testimony, arranging public and private sales of single items and entire estates, locating "in kind" replacements for insurance settlements, and instruction. Dr. Ford has been an instructor in the appraisal and fine art fields, giving seminars for appraisers, dealers, and the general public. He created a videotape series on appraising and antiques for cable network television and has done four successive years of "antiques road shows" at the historic Ball-Sellers house of the Arlington County (Virginia) Historical Society. He is the author of several published articles on appraising, including a highly quoted article written by invitation for the legal profession. That article, titled "Choosing the Right Appraiser", was originally published in 1990 and has been reprinted.