Valuation and pricing
Where a figure comes from, how confident it is, how it ages, and what the valuation engine does.
An asset's value is not a field you overwrite. It is a history: every valuation in order, each with its source, its confidence, who provided it and when. The latest entry is the current estimate; the history explains it.
Sources
| Source | What it is | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Appraisal | A named appraiser's figure on a date, usually with a document | Strongest. Counts as appraised for three years, then is marked as an estimate until renewed |
| Auction result | A hammer price for this asset or a direct comparable | Strong |
| Dealer quote | A written offer or quote | Strong while recent |
| Insurance schedule | The value an insurer agreed to cover | Reference — it tells you what is covered, not what it would sell for |
| Spot price | Metals only: live price × weight × purity, updated automatically | Current by definition |
| Indicative estimate | The valuation engine's low / mid / high range | Estimate |
| Your estimate | A figure you entered | Estimate |
Adding a valuation
On the asset page, Valuation → Add: choose the source, enter the figure and the date, name the appraiser or house, and attach the document if there is one. The new entry becomes the current estimate; nothing is lost.
The valuation engine
Estimate value on the asset page asks the valuation engine for an indicative estimate from the asset's own record and comparable sales — a low, mid and high figure for all seventeen categories. It is a starting point for a record with no figure, and a sanity check against one that has, not an appraisal. The engine never overwrites an appraisal; its result is one more entry in the history, marked as an estimate, and you choose whether to adopt it.
Metals move by themselves
For metals and bullion the value is computed: spot price for the metal, times weight, times purity, plus any premium you recorded. Spot prices are refreshed through the day; the asset page shows when. See Metals & bullion.
How a figure ages
- An appraisal counts as evidence for three years. After that it stays in the history but the asset is counted as estimate only on Portfolio, in Protect's attention list and in the Estate readiness score — until you add a newer one.
- Insurance cover does not age the same way, but Protect warns when an asset's estimate has grown past its insured value.
- The Appraisal aged alert, on by default, tells you when this happens.
Cost basis and change
Purchase price, date and source live on the asset's acquisition record. Change on the asset page compares the current estimate with the cost basis — and shows — rather than a number when there is no cost basis to compare with. A gift is not a gain.
Who sees values
Values are a visibility setting per member: an Editor or Viewer can be given the record without the figures. Share links can withhold values too. See People and roles.