Appraiser's Profile

MISSION
Charles C. McCracken's mission is to prepare expert appraisals in accordance with The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), and the report writing standards of his professional association, the International Society of Appraisers (ISA).

ACCREDITATION
Charles has been an accredited member of ISA since 2000. Membership in the association requires the successful completion of required course work, and attending on-going professional development activities, i.e., national conferences, training workshops, and participation on ISA steering committees.

Charles has completed the following courses:

• Appraisal Studies Core Course 101
  (Appraisal Principles and Business Practice)
• Appraisal Studies Core Course 102
  (Appraisal Ethics, ISA Appraisal Report Writing Standards, USPAP, Identification/Authentication, Market & Value Research & Analysis, and Legal Issues)
• Appraisal Studies Core Course 103
  (Practical Appraisal Report Writing)
• The Appraisal of Fine Art Specialty Course
  (Art History Review, Terminology, Conservation, Identification, Authentication, Special Collections, i.e., Paintings, Sculpture, Works on Paper, Frames, Photography, Icons, Woodblocks, Animation)
• The Personal Property Appraiser as Expert Witness
  (Evidence and Proof, Discovery, The Trail, Terminology, Ethics and the Role of the Appraiser as an Expert Witness)
• Appraising Damage and Loss Claims In The Moving Industry
  (Industry Review, Terminology, Determination of Values, Forms & Procedures)

PROFESSIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Personal property appraisers bring to their work a range of educational and professional experiences that help them to recognize and research the wide variety of items they are asked to appraise.

Following is a review of Charles's educational and professional background.

Academic Degrees

• Doctorate In Education (D.Ed.) Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. (1983). Charles's was a candidate in a John D. Rockefeller III funded program. The focus of his study involved library science research on information dissemination to arts and human development practitioners.
• Masters in Education (M.Ed.), Trenton State College, Trenton, N.J. (1974). Charles majored in counseling and personnel services and was an intern in Project NOW, a counselor training program that integrated classroom study with community involvement.
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Rider College, Lawrenceville, N.J. (1972). Charles undergraduate degree focused on the study of art and music history, and the humanities.

Rare Book and Fine Art Specialist

• Time Again Gallery: Charles currently operates with his wife, Faith McCracken, Time Again Gallery & Custom Framing. This has been a full-time endeavor for more than twenty-five years. Time Again buys and selling antiquarian and contemporary fine art, rare and collectible books, autographs, manuscripts and maps, sports memorabilia, collectibles, antiques, and other objects d'art.
• Time Again Gallery and Custom Framing: A division of Time Again operates a custom picture framing service and consults on interior design and restoration projects.

Authorship

As an extension of his appraisal service, Charles writes catalogues and articles. Two projects resulted in full length books. Both books have become the definitive works on their subjects. Charles's essay Writing Beyond the Numbers: Why Appraisers Publish is featured in the Journal of Advanced Appraisal Studies. To find out more about these publications reference the links below.

• The Forgotten History: A Photographic Essay on Hilton Head Island. McCracken and McCracken editors, Time Again Publications (1994), 106pp, small folio, limited edition of 526 copies, maps laid in. An account of the Union occupation of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, during the Civil War, and an important work on photography in the 1860s.
  
  
• The Art of Seymour Fogel: An Atavistic Vision. McCracken, McCracken and Fogel, Time Again Publications (2005), 104 pp, small folio, limited edition, 300 copies, custom-made acrylic slipcase with DVD. The principal work on the American modern artist, Seymour Fogel (1911-1984). The book rekindled national interest in this important American master.
  
  
• Journal of Advanced Appraisal Studies, Sigety, Todd W. (Ed), pages 1–10. McCracken, Charles C.(2008). Writing Beyond the Numbers: Why Appraisers Publish. Modern personal property appraisers do more than numerical calculations and tabulations. They generate prose that is engaging and explanatory. By telling the stories their research uncovers they establish themselves as experts, develop a network of colleagues and promote public trust in the profession. Like an archeologist, the appraiser digs beneath the surface to unearth data that justifies opinions. Like historians, appraisers do more than report facts, they put facts in context. Appraisers tell the whole story of value.
  

Professional Music Experience: Cellist

• (1970's & 1980's). Charles worked full time as a freelance cellist for fifteen years teaching cello and performing in various symphony orchestras, chamber music ensembles, and popular music bands. Charles started cello lessons when he was eight year old. From 1967 thru 1971 he took his conservatory music training at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee under the tutelage of the Fine Arts String Quartette.
• Today, Charles works part time performing with local community and church groups.

Associations and Community Service

• (2006/07) Chairperson of ISA Appraisal Studies Committee. The mission of this national committee is to provide superior education for personal property appraisers by developing, maintaining and teaching courses in appraisal studies and related material.
• (2006) Member and co-host of the "What's It Worth" television show. This program aired on our local network and provided verbal approximations of value for antiques, furniture, gems, jewelry, books, paintings and more. Interviews and panel discussions with the appraiser team were included to inform and educate the public on the role of the personal property.
• (2005) Member of the ISA Fine Arts Committee. The mission of the committee is to advance the professionalism and effectiveness of personal property appraisers specializing in the field of fine art.
• (2002 to present) Guest speaker and discussion group leader at local community centers, schools and other organizations to introduce to the public the purpose and functions of personal property appraisals.
• (1998) Time Again Gallery selected as recipient of the Senior Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE) "Client of the Year" award.
• (1990's) Charter member of the International Autograph Collector's Club & Dealers Alliance (IACCDA), a professional organization dedicated to promoting ethical standards for authentication in the autograph and antiquarian manuscript trade.
• (1980's) Charter member of the New Jersey Antiquarian Booksellers Association (NJABA), New Jersey's first association of rare and collectible book dealers.
• (1970's and 1980's) Charles was active as a paid employee and volunteer for various community -based human service and cultural arts organizations. These included:
  • The New Jersey Education Consortium.
  • The Cranbury New Jersey Historic Landmarks Association.
  • The Hoboken New Jersey Community Guidance Center.
  • The Perth Amboy Community Guidance Center.
  • The Perth Amboy Cultural Arts & Bicentennial Commission.
  • Antioch College - Philadelphia's credit for life experience assessment program.
  • The Board of Trustees, Pennington New Jersey Public Library.