Col. Dorothy Schaffer

Hi, I'm Dorothy Schaffer, I am a certified antique and personal property appraiser and have been buying, selling, picking, appraising, and liquidating antiques and personal property in the St. Louis, Missouri area for the past 40 years. I have sold at antique shows, auctions, flea markets, and at St. Louis estate sales. In 1998, after 14 years, I closed my antique store in St. Louis, Missouri. I now devote my time and company to St. Louis estate sales, moving tag sales, appraisals, and auctions.

I am a certified appraiser and been tested and certified as an Appraiser by the Certified Appraisers Guild of America (C.A.G.A.). I have graduated from the Missouri Auction School*. I am a licensed auctioneer in St. Louis and the State of Missouri. I'm also a member of the Missouri Professional Auctioneers Association.

We are the first estate sale company in St. Louis to have a website starting in 1999, and the first company in St. Louis to be on www.estatesales.net! I also have an "A" rating on www.angieslist.com and a top rating at the Better Business Bureau (BBB)

*Many people ask what the "Col." stands for in front of my name. During the Civil War period, and after, only Colonels in the army were authorized to hold auctions. This title of Colonel was continued long after the war by auctioneers and is a carryover yet today. Today the title is given to graduates upon graduating from auctioneering school.

*People from around the world attend the Missouri Auction School. It is the oldest and ranked as the best.

by Dorothy Schaffer, member of the Certified Appraisers Guild of America C.A.G.A

The descriptions and values made by a certified personal property accredited appraiser assures technical accuracy and appropriate market level valuation. There are many purposes and uses for an appraisal.

We assure our clients of confidential, reputable, customized service that can be relied on. Offering years of client association experience, we are uniquely qualified to meet your appraisal needs. We stand by our work and invite your inquiries.

Appraisers-Specialists are qualified to appraise all tangible personal property including: antiques, decorative arts, furniture, china, household goods, pottery, porcelain, glass, advertising, silver, fine art, military, amphora, clocks and watches, toys, costume jewelry, firearms, sports items, collectibles, tools, and other items.

Fees are charged at an hourly, per diem or fixed arrangement. Our fee includes inspection, a written appraisal, and research if necessary. All appraisals are done in your home or location. Two complete written reports with pictures is given to the client.

We also give verbal appraisals if you request it, that do not include written appraisal reports.

A written certified appraisal is a legal document as important as a will and is the only way to accurately value and describe the property. A properly prepared appraisal by a certified, accredited appraiser, will clarify questions of property value in any circumstances.

We hold complete Estate Sales that are held on the premises with all items individually tagged, priced, cleaned, repaired if needed, and attractively displayed. Extensive local, & national advertising is done, along with e-mail notification to over 950

buyers who have requested notice of our sales on our website, and over 16,000 buyers on estatesales.net.

We also offer our web page which includes a description of the estate contents, pictures of all, the date, location, and time of the sale.

Your sale is also advertised on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch stltoday website, on estatesales.net, craigslist.com, estatesale.com gsair.com, other web sites, and neighborhood newspapers when warranted.

We have the customers and collectors to buy your items whether those items are high end antiques, or everyday household items!

We can conduct eBay listings for small outstanding items where we have a 100% feedback rating.

Services are tailored to meet the need for the client. Our service is confidential, professional, and sensitive to the customer or family members. All sales are offered on a straight commission basis. My company will hold only one sale a week, your sale. If you hire me to hold your sale, you will be assured I will be there for the whole process, from beginning to end.

Besides the liquidation of an entire Estate, many of our sales are also held for people down-sizing or moving to another location.

"Losing a loved one is a difficult time in everyone's life. Leave the arduous task of liquidating the possessions of a loved one to a professional. Allow me to give you the information you need, to help you decide, what is best for you."

We have an "A" rating on "Angie's List", and a reference list of our past customers for you to call! We are a company you can trust!

We offer free, no obligation on-site consultations to help you with your decision. Please give us a call to set up an appointment at 636-938-1337 or 314-843-8479

I could not have been more happy with the results of the sale, both financially and professionally. My family, my house and our belongings were treated with respect every step of the way. Our security and safety was always a top priority for you, as was ensuring the sale was a success. In the end, only two items did not sell! I thought that was an excellent outcome. So much of what we had were specific tools and collectibles, and yet your marketing efforts ensured that the right audience was there for the sale and it all sold".........Heather Schaefer

“You made what seemed like an impossible task, to set up and sell the entire contents of my parent’s home within a 2 week deadline, into a sale that went “OVER THE TOP”. Your website is the “bomb” and the attention to detail is amazing. I know we netted way more than we would have if we had done this on our own, not to mention the time and effort we would have spent during a very stressful period for our family. Dottie and Jim are HONEST, HARD WORKING, EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE and just plain NICE PEOPLE! I was so lucky to find them and would highly recommend them to anyone needing their services. It was a pleasure to work with both of you”….Jackie Sterling

"You did an absolutely fabulous job with my mom's sale! Despite the sheer volume of items, everything was set up beautifully and priced properly - your knowledge base in that regard is remarkable. Your marketing was exceptional which I know brought a lot more people to the sale than normal. Mostly I appreciated your energy and honesty throughout the process. It was a great pleasure working with you - I give my highest recommendation for your services.".... Wendy Stout

"Your expertise, knowledge of the market, publicity skills, and energetic preparation for the sale were outstanding! We are convinced we netted considerably more from the sale than if we had spent the hours and hours of hard work to conduct the sale ourselves. I strongly recommend your services to anyone who needs an estate or moving sale.".... Les Daniels

"Dorothy showed particular skill in knowing the value of the wide range of items we had. The results of the sale were excellent. Every item was sold or donated to charity and moved from the premises-on the day of the sale-a critical requirement for us in the closing of the sale of our house. She sent the proceeds to us in Arizona by guaranteed check the next day. We heartily recommend her. This service is what we had hoped for, but frankly was concerned anyone could provide."......Connie and Steve O'Neill

St. Louis # 1 Professional service for all your Auction, Appraisal, and Estate Sale needs in the St. Louis & St. Louis County Area

Col. Dorothy Schaffer

Auction, Estate Sale,

& Appraisal Service LLC