David J. Goldberg Discovers a 17th C. Old Master Painting
During a routine art appraisal recently, David J. Goldberg discovered a Spanish Old Master painting of St. Joseph and the Infant Jesus. The painting will be auctioned on Saturday, July 23, at Crescent City Auction Gallery, New Orleans.
From the School of Bartolome Esteban Murillo, the first Spanish Baroque painter to gain fame in Euroope and England, the religious painting is very realistic. And that is what made Murillo and his circle so famous.
According to Mr. Goldberg, St Joseph and the Infant Jesus once belonged to the Rev. Canon A. Silva-White of St. Peter's Vicarage, Sunderland, England. It eventually passed into the hands of a Mandeville, LA collector.
The Spanish Old Master painting is conservatively estimated at $8,000 to $12,000, but could easily bring more. For more informaton, visit Crescent City Auction Gallery.com
This painting is one more reason why you should ask for an appraisal of the paintings and furniture in your attic, garage or home. In this economic climate, everyone needs to know where they have hidden assets.
Showcase Antiques and Fine Art Opens With 66% Off Sale
(Posted: May 10, 2011) David Goldberg is pleased to announce the opening of Showcase Antiques and Fine Art at 3501 Tchoupitoulas Street. To celebrate, we're holding a 66% off Inaugural Sale on Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15. Hours are 1 - 5 p.m. Parking is available.
This Inaugural Sale introduces the newest concept in buying antiques and fine art. Buy beautiful period items at wholesale or market prices, WITHOUT the hassle of attending auction exhibitions and hours of auctioneering. You will find many items from some of New Orleans' finest homes.
Bargains include Georgian, Regency and Victorian furniture, Swedish and French furniture, including Empire and Neoclassical items. Decorative arts include English, French and German 18th and 19th Century porcelains and decorations, American and European paintings and good New Orleans paintings.
Please stop by and take a look at our collection of fine antiques from some of New Orelans' finest homes. By the way, qualified dealers receive an 80% discount.
For more information, call (504) 606-3837
You Tube Video: New Orleans Appraiser Strikes Gold
Our new video just hit You Tube. It's shows how I helped a Texas client get the best prices for inherited treasures she loved but could not keep. I think this may have meaning for many of you. Here's a link: http://bit.ly/gk4h97
Watch David Goldberg on TV
A lot of people are afraid to talk to an appraiser because they have met appraisers who are stuck in their ivory towers. David J. Goldberg is just the opposite. He is relaxed and friendly - the sort of person who puts people at ease. (It must be his New Orleans upbringing.)
To get a better understanding of how David can be so smart and so low-key at the same time, check out his recent appearance on WWLTV, New Orleans. He was invited to talk about the antiques on view at the Winter Art & Antiques Show at the Old Mint, but his expertise and charisma shine through. Here's the link.http://www.kwwltv.com/video?id=111241524&sec=554827
Philadelphia Desk to Secure MD Patient's Future
A rare early American Philadelphia desk, with its first owners' names and bank balance penned on the inside of a drawer, is looking for a new home. The Philadelphia Chippendale desk was found tucked away in the bedroom of a Baton Rouge muscular dystrophy patient and is the perfect example of how an antique appraisal can help secure the future.
The owner of the Philadelphia-made desk did not think it was particularly valuable when she called in antique appraiser David J. Goldberg, President of The Appraisal Group of New Orleans. Ironically, Mr. Goldberg has a history of identifying valuable oil paintings and antiques that other appraisers have overlooked.
According to Mr. Goldberg the desk is a close copy of the Philadelphia desk shown in Wallace Nutting's "Furniture Treasury," Plate 638. Mr. Goldberg said identifying the desk and its period was the easy part. Unraveling the mystery of the writing on one of the vertical drawers by the central cupboard was another matter.
The antique appraiser studied the inscriptions for hours. The bracketed names, Israel and Isaiah, written twice, do not belong to any known Philadelphia maker. Further complicating the mystery was a sum that looked suspiciously like a bank balance. $5843.32 1/2 cts (sic) did not make sense, nor did a nearby set of subtracted figures.
It took time and research but Mr. Goldberg determined that the names were the keys to ownership. Provenance, as an antique's lineage is called, is one of the characteristics that can increase value.
A genealogical search turned up Israel and Isaiah Morris, a father and son business team, working in Cambria County, Pennsylvania in the 19th Century. That put the date of the desk at the last quarter of the 18th Century. The numbers, Mr. Goldberg surmises, do reflect a bank tally and the arithmetic is possibly the price of the desk subtracted.
The story of the Philadelphia desk with its unusual personal notations could have ended in just another auction transaction, as so often happens when appraisers don't understand their clients needs or the best place to sell unique items.
But Mr. Goldberg is no ordinary appraiser. His business is built on relationships as well as knowledge. So, he estimated the importance of the antique's sale to his client's well being.
Because the client is in need of on-going medical treatment, David J. Goldberg is looking for a private sale at the Winter Art & Antiques Show for the benefit of Louisiana State Museum. The dates are December 4th and 5th. The venue, the Old U.S. Mint, New Orleans.
Texas Woman Turns Oil Painting into Gold.
MARSHALL, TX People who think that finding a valuable oil painting in their inheritance is like hitting a mega millions jackpot need to know how to play the game, advises David J. Goldberg of the New Orleans based Appraisal Group. First, work with an experienced art appraiser who can give you a realistic valuation. Second, sell your oil painting in the right auction house.
Here's how one Texas woman made sure the Western art in her family inheritance brought a very high price:
When Libby Dannelly Nelson, a resident of the small town of Marshall, Texas, inherited a 100-year old mansion in the even smaller town of Jefferson, Texas, she was overwhelmed by all the Victorian furniture, antiques and oil paintings.
One of the paintings carried the signature of Albert Bierstadt, a famous 19th century painter of Western landscapes. Named "Above the Timberline," it showed snowcapped mountains in the distance and a lone Indian horseman in the foreground.
The painting evoked an America that disappeared long ago. Mrs. Nelson knew of Bierstadt and suspected the work, which had been in her family as long as she could remember, might be worth about $2,000, but she wasn't sure.
She was sure she needed help to sell the contents of the 8,000 square foot mansion. Mrs. Nelson searched the Internet for nearby antique appraisers without finding one she felt was qualified. Then she decided to search a city known for its antiques. By googling New Orleans appraisers, she came up with David J. Goldberg of The Appraisal Group.
Mr. Goldberg met her first criteria: he was CAGA certified. He had taught antiques at LSU and Tulane, which meant he must know his stuff. He had also helped more than 146 people contest insurance claims after Hurricane Katrina. That gave Mrs. Nelson confidence in his abilities. When she met him, David Goldberg's knowledge and demeanor impressed her even more.
On appraising the contents of the house, Mr. Goldberg offered several options:
Sell some of the antique furniture to well-known dealers of Victorian furniture...
Hold a nationally advertised estate sale on premises for the rest. With 30 years experience in antiques and auctions, Mr. Goldberg could easily organize, advertise and conducte the sale...
Take the Albert Bierstadt oil painting to auction. That meant turning down a private offer for $70,000, but Goldberg was certain "Above the Timberline" would easily command more than $100,000.
Mrs. Nelson recalls that David Goldberg explained the market to her. Fine art paintings, he said, fall into categories and each category has its own group of collectors and its own specialty auction houses. With Western Art, he noted that the Coeur d'Alene Art Auction (which conducts its summer auction in Reno) has the strongest sales record in its field.
The Coeur d'Alene Art Auction experts agreed with Mr. Goldberg that the painting should exceed $100,000 if sold at auction. That was February and the next auction was not scheduled until July 24, 2010. Mr. Goldberg handled all the negotiations regarding seller's commission, insurance and shipping.
Mr. Goldberg then set about turning Libby Nelson's historic home into an antique shop. 
"He brought chests and tables and chairs from all parts of the house and set them up so that it looked just like an antique shop," Mrs. Nelson recounted in a phone interview recently. "It all looked so good that my friends and I started antiquing my own stuff. It was as though we'd never seen it before."
The Jefferson Historic Home estate sale was publicized across the United States, with excellent results. "Stuff just flew out of the house," Mrs. Nelson said.
After the estate sale, the only thing left to do was finalize travel plans to Reno for the Coeur d'Alene Art Auction. It was Mrs. Nelson's first trip to Reno and her first big auction.
On the day of the art auction, Mrs. Nelson, her husband and David Goldberg sat together. With absentee bids stacked up and bidders in the room going up against telephone bidders and online bidders, the event was definitely high energy.
When the auctioneer brought the Albert Bierstadt, known as Lot 84, to the podium, Mrs. Nelson waited nervously as bidders drove the price up and up. The final sale price came in at $105,300, including the buyers' premium.
Mrs. Nelson was thrilled. David Goldberg had been right. He had realistically appraised Albert Bierstadt's snow capped mountain scene at more $100,000. He had located the right auction house for it. And he gave Libby Dannelly Nelson a day—and a nest egg—she will never regret.
5 Questions to Ask Your Appraiser
New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) June 28, 2010. When it comes to appraising and selling your personal property, you want the best appraiser you can find. To identify someone who can help you get fair market value or more, you will need an appraiser with a good network and knowledge of the auction houses. David J. Goldberg of The Appraisal Group says there are 5 important questions to ask.
According to New Orleans based fine arts and antiques appraiser, David J. Goldberg, people everywhere are looking at their family heirlooms, fine art and collectibles as sources of revenue. Trying to sell antiques and fine art yourself is time consuming and often, if it is not done correctly, actually results in monetary losses, Mr. Goldberg states.
For example, the owner of an historic mansion recently called Mr. Goldberg to look at a painting she wanted to sell for around $2,000. Mr. Goldberg estimated the painting’s value at approximately $200,000. He also knew whom to call to sell it.Without David J. Goldberg’s knowledge, the owner might have sold the painting for $2,000 and never known its real market value.
To help you find an appraiser who has the knowledge to assign fair market value and knows where to actually realize such high prices, Mr. Goldberg suggests you ask these 5 questions.
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Is your appraiser ethical? You can check on an appraiser’s reputation by contacting the professional societies with which he is affiliated. In David J. Goldberg’s case, you would want to check with Certified Appraisers Guild of America.
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Is your appraiser knowledgeable? An appraiser who has a large base of knowledge, or perhaps has been in the auction business, as was David J. Goldberg or owned an antique shop or art gallery, has more hands-on knowledge and is more likely to be a walking price history.
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Does your appraiser have enough experience? The more art and furniture he has seen, the better. A long-time appraiser will know how to spot both questionable and fine items. He will recognize exceptional paintings, for example, when he sees them and be able to gauge market trends.
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Does your appraiser have a large network? The more professionals your appraiser knows, the better. Colleagues in the antiques trade and art field can help him correctly identify rarities. They can also lead him to the best buyers.
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Does you appraiser have a track record? Find out if your appraiser knows how to conduct an auction or estate sale and market it nationally. High-dollar estate sales attract buyers from all 50 states, Europe and Asia. Case in point: in May, David Goldberg helped a family dispose of an estate with a nationally advertised $1,000,000 value. If your appraiser cannot do this, find another.
BACKGROUND The Appraisal Group was founded in 1994 by David J. Goldberg and his father, Morton Goldberg. The Goldbergs owned the largest auction gallery in New Orleans and the South for many years. David Goldberg holds degrees from Columbia University and the University of North Carolina. He has taught course in antiques and appraisals at Tulane University for 14 years and been a professional appraiser for the past 15 years. (504) 282-7611.
David J. Goldberg Appears at Louisiana Public Broadcasting Antiques Fair.
BATON ROUGE, LA. When Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting opened the doors of this year's Antiques Fair in Baton Rouge on September 11, David J. Goldberg was on hand to offer expert appraisal advice.
Mr. Goldberg provided valuations on antique furniture and Southern art to about 100 guests who donated $75 each for the privilege of having two items appraised. 
Mr. Goldberg's appearance at the LPB fundraiser comes on the heels of a highly successful sale of an oil painting found in Jefferson, Texas. "Above the Timberline" by Albert Bierstadt, a 19th Century Western artist, was thought to be worth about $2,000 until Mr. Goldberg placed the value much higher. The scene of a lone horseman depicted against snow capped mountains and clouds brought $105,300 at auction in July.
No stranger to community service, Mr. Goldberg was both a co-founder of the WYES Public Television and Digital Media Auction and a past president of New Orleans' Exchange Club, an organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse.
