Peter Eller has been a personal property appraiser in Albuquerque, New Mexico, since 1981. He holds a B.A. (pre-law) from C. W. Post College of Long Island University and a Ph.D. (language and literature) from the University of New Mexico.
Eller belonged to the International Society of Appraisers (ISA) 1984-2002, and continues as a member of the Appraisers Association of America (AAA). As a member of AAA, he is qualified in general Residential Contents, American Paintings and Prints, Southwest Paintings and Prints, and Southwest Indian as well as colonial, including religious, Hispanic Arts. In 1999, he maintained his certification by completing the AAA course on current and new IRS standards for donation and estate appraisals.
Eller follows the markets for American and Southwest art, European and American antiques and fine furniture, residential contents, Navajo weavings and Rio Grande Pueblo pottery, modern and colonial Hispanic and pre-Columbian Southwest artifacts by visiting dealers, auctions, trade shows and estate sales, and by regular reading in trade publications.
In 1988, Eller appraised the permanent collection of the New Mexico State Fair, and did a review appraisal for the IRS of a collection of pre-Columbian Southwest pottery donated to a historical society in Southern New Mexico. Major appraisals in ‘89 included, for the St. Paul companies, the paintings stolen from the Albuquerque Museum, and, for the U.S. Marshal Service, the content of an Albuquerque gallery. In ‘92 he appraised the art collection of the Carlsbad Museum and, for the IRS, a selection of Indian artifacts donated to the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa. In ‘98, he appraised a collection of traditional New Mexico furniture for the Socorro Public Library, as well as a part of the Constance Modrall collection of art for its sale to the Modrall law firm. He has been staff writer for “Tradición Revista: The Journal of Contemporary & Traditional Spanish Colonial Art & Culture” and he served as an expert witness.
The bulk of his appraisal work is for insurance. However, he also writes reports on matters of market analysis, estate settlement, the division of property, and donation. Additionally, he reviews the work of other appraisers. He took his latest USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) update in March of 2005.
References:
Scott Eaton, Keleher & McLeod, (505)884-8282
Pam Scanlon, Albuquerque Academy, (505)828-3232
Jeff Mitchell, Private Art Dealer, Mitchell-Brown Fine Art, (602)977-0808
Larry Auscherman, Modrall, Sperling, Roehl, Harris & Sisk, P.A., (505)848-1800
