why oh why??

Likely because there are far more people who have inherited antiques and collectibles than actually know anything about the subject ;~)

Lovejoy 

Supply and demand. If the persons submitting items to this site knew their value and history, why submit. I had submitted a small portrait with a unique monogram signature, weeks ago. I have yet to hear from anyone. People like myself come here looking for answers. I would gladly reply to your query if I knew something about the subject. All the best. Charley

so then joseph...as youre the manager of this group wouldnt you tend to know a thing or two about the topic of the group?  and would you not try and help people who are wondering things about the things that they have?  i realize that probably nobody in the world knows anything about a mazzoni accordion.  i cant find a thing in the world.  what i meant by my initial comment here was meant for everything on the whole site.  i bet lots of ppl on here collect like mad.  it just seems that all i see is a forum post w/ almost no comments on it.  its sad is all.....

Sure, whenever I can answer a question about an item that I know about I absolutely share what I know and answer it to the best of my ability.  Many other folks do the same as well here.  You can see a good amount of the comments that people have put in about items under the "Recent Comments" column on the left-hand side of the page.  I know that Lovejoy and several other folks are very active in putting in comments about many items of a great variety.  If you can think of a way to help foster more comments from people then please let us know and we'll be happy to consider it.  Thank you.

- Joseph

When you consider Appraisers charge $75.00 per hour + for their services ( I know because I am one) I find it difficult to understand when people become upset because a free service doesn't  always hand them the answers they seek, or that they have to participate to make such a community work.

The problem in a nut shell is that most people either don't know how to find the information they seek, or are unwilling to expend much energy doing so. I don't know how many times I've popped in here to see requests for information or valuations that were covered within the last week, or listed in the archives. In most cases the information is already listed and can be found via the Search box or the Instappraisal Appraisal database search box at the top right hand of this page.

The way I look at it everyone is knowledgable about something, and for a community like this to work well everyone has to share what they know. Personally I feel everyone who uses this community should list whatever their particular hobby/ collecting passion may be, and be expected to provide information on a one for one basis. For example, if you collect Bunnykin figurines you should provide information/valuations for someone else's Bunnykins request for every Appraisal request you make for your own stuff.

Lovejoy 

lovejoy definitely does seem helpful.  which is awesome...thanks.  my area of expertise is drums.  if youve got some old drums or new ill tell you about what its worth.. if anybody needs help dont be afraid to ask me!!!  later on