Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Fri, 11/22/2019 - 12:52
Can someone scan the (probably single page) Ask Astro article by Steve Rismiller in the May 2016 issue of Astronomy Magazine for me? I have need of getting an appraisal of a telescope system in the Boston area prior to a donation, and it seems that article might give me some ideas.
Has anyone gone through the process of donating a substantial telescope and getting such an appraisal? The IRS requires it, but the restrictions on who is a qualified appraiser are not clear to me.
Arne
Not telescope, but cars and other items. I do not believe that an appraiser is needed unless the item is rather unusual, if sales are uncommon, or there can be significant uncertainty about its value. Jewelry would fall into this category.
If there are similar sales in Astromart and Cloudy Nights, those would probably give reasonable estimates of value for IRS purposes. Best regards.
Mike