I have a signed number AP22, for which I paid $1,175., back in 1989.
I cannot find any place I can get a knowledgeable, honest appraisal.
http://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=john+p+o%27brien+artist
The only way to know how much it is worth is to put it up on auction. Then you will know the real actual value, regardless of what any expert 'appraiser' says.
Yes. It is worth what someone is willing to pay and that depends on where you are selling it and who you are selling it to. I'm not an expert on art, but I owned antique shops and antique malls for over twenty six years - and I would often come across prints or paintings that I had no clue what to ask for.
In the old days, I would list it on ebay with a really high reserve and watch the bids come in. Normally, it didn't sell for the reserve price but I had a pool of bidders to contact and deal on a price (which I now had a pretty good idea of what people are willing to pay). I don't do ebay anymore, so I don't know if you still can do that.
The advantage of having a shop is that I could put it on the floor without a price and see how many people asked about it - that helped to gauge the interest in it. After a few offers, I would have a good idea of what to ask.
If my gut told me the piece was something really special - I would take it to our local art museum and talk to the experts. They wouldn't tell me value, but they would tell me enough to do some research on it.
If there is an art gallery nearby that deals in the type of art you have, see if they are interested in buying it - they will offer you probably one-third to one-half of what they think they can sell it for. You can figure out the worth that way too. Most people are not going to be able to hook up with that one customer that is really going to want it - unless they sell it online themselves. Otherwise, you are almost always better off selling it wholesale to a dealer and letting him worry about getting the top dollar for it. Overall, art and antiques are not that good of investments unless you are buying some mega-quality high end pieces. I always say, "don't worry about what it is worth - buy it because you love it and are willing to pay that price for it". There is also a big difference in an appraisal for insurance purposes and an appraisal for what the piece might actually sell for in the current market.
Lastly, massadvj is a person that has a lot of knowledge of high-end antiques. I would ask him about it.
