Automotive valuation and litigation support
Estate · probate · family law · claim disputes · deposition. Certified reports counsel can attach. Intended use, intended users, and scope of work stated in the document. prepared in substantial conformity with USPAP. ASCAA-CERT-4246.
For law firms, estate planners, and trustees, asset verification requires absolute adherence to regulatory guidelines. American Classic Appraisals provides comprehensive expert witness testimony and litigation support backed by 30 years of professional valuation experience.
Our independent appraisals strictly conform to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), making our certified value reports completely admissible and highly defensible in local and federal courts for:
Estate Planning & Probate: Accurate fair market value determinations for estate taxes, inheritance distribution, and step-up basis validation.
Divorce & Asset Dissolution: Unbiased, independent asset valuations to ensure equitable marital property distribution.
Bankruptcy & Liquidations: Verifiable asset calculations required by trustees and bankruptcy courts.
Insurance Disputes & Diminished Value: Expert structural reporting to challenge lowball total-loss payouts or coordinate formal appraisal clause invocations.
Our principal inspectors carry formal credentialing from the Auto Standards Council of Automobile Appraisers (ASCAA), reflecting the highest level of ongoing training in collector vehicle metrics.
Every valuation report is drafted to satisfy the strict Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice guidelines, ensuring immediate acceptance by banks, courts, and financial institutions.
Our agreed-value appraisals are seamlessly approved by major collector car insurance companies, including Hagerty, Grundy, and Heacock, allowing you to lock in complete asset coverage.
Our comprehensive physical Pre-Purchase Inspections evaluate title authenticity, frame integrity, and hidden body filler, shielding out-of-state buyers from predatory online marketplace scams.
Each is scoped, priced, and engaged separately. The consumer photo report is not a matter appraisal — if a paralegal only needs an uncontested inventory number and accepts photo scope, we quote it as a limited desktop at counsel rates.
30–45 min call: is this a fight, photo vs inspect, what the other side's number is missing.
$150–$250 flat — applied to the report if you engage.
Report named to the estate or firm, locked effective date, disclosed scope. Intended user named in the document.
See fee schedule below.
Declaration, depo, trial, rebuttal of the opposing appraiser.
Separate engagement, day rates.
Each engagement is scoped to the matter. The report identifies the intended use, intended users, and effective date — not a generic "fair market value" letter.
Date-of-death valuations for estate inventory, probate filings, and trust administration. Effective date locked to the decedent's date of death. Report identifies the estate or counsel as intended user.
Accepted by probate courts and estate counsel nationwide.
Fair market value as of the separation date or court-ordered valuation date. Condition, comparables, and methodology stated in plain English. Suitable for mediation packages and court exhibits.
Effective date locked to separation agreement or court order.
Qualified appraisal documentation for non-cash charitable contributions of vehicles valued over $5,000. Report meets IRS Form 8283 Section B requirements under IRC § 170(f)(11) — prepared in substantial conformity with USPAP. We do not represent IRS acceptance — we provide the documentation the deduction requires.
Appraiser qualifications page included. Timing requirements confirmed before engagement.
Every report is built to survive scrutiny — from opposing counsel, a mediator, or the bench.
The attorney of record, the estate, or both are identified as intended users in the report — not a generic "client."
Date of death, separation date, or inspection date — stated in the report, not assumed.
Photo-based or on-site — the scope of work section says which. No ambiguity for opposing counsel.
Comparable sales, condition rating, and value conclusion written for a judge or mediator, not a car enthusiast.
CV, ASCAA membership, USPAP conformity statement, and ASCAA-CERT-4246 on the certification page.
Single point of contact for multi-vehicle estates and collections across all 50 states.
Appraisal fee due to open the file. Testimony booked with a separate retainer. We do not work on contingency in litigated matters.
Limited desktop
Photos + VIN + comps; uncontested inventory
Standard desktop for counsel
Intended-user language, cert page, tighter comps
On-site inspection + report
Scheduled to your deadline; travel additional
Collections
First vehicle at standard rate; additional units declining
Written declaration / affidavit
Rebuttal of opposing appraisal
Quoted after file review
Deposition — half day / full day
Plus prep hour
Trial day
Plus travel
Rush — 48 hours
Applied to any service above
All fees starting at / quoted after file review. Adjust scope on the first call before committing.
We work to your calendar, not ours.
Once photos and VIN packet are received.
Hearing date, inventory deadline, or mediation date.
Say yes or no before you commit.
Written declaration, deposition, and trial testimony are available by separate written engagement. Scope, availability, and fee are confirmed on the initial call.
Testimony engagements are separate from the appraisal engagement and require their own written agreement. Discuss availability before you commit to a hearing date that depends on it.
Attorneys and executors can upload the vehicle title, death certificate, court order, separation agreement, or prior appraisals alongside vehicle photos — everything arrives in one submission, ready for Shawn to begin the report immediately.
Estate & probate
Death certificate, title, prior appraisals
Divorce & family law
Court order, separation agreement, title
Charitable donation
Donation letter, title, Form 8283 draft
Select your appraisal purpose — the document upload field appears automatically for estate and legal matters.
We are not the selling dealer, not the insurer's staff appraiser, and not the party's mechanic. Prior work on the subject vehicle is disclosed before we accept the engagement.
We do not practice law, we do not determine coverage or title, and we will not write a number to a target. If the file only supports a limited photo appraisal, the report will say so.
Text or call with the following and we'll confirm scope, method, and turnaround before you commit.
Expert Witness Credentials
In the automotive valuation industry since 1993. ASCAA-CERT-4246. Available for plaintiff or defense retention in all U.S. jurisdictions.
Confidential — for counsel and client use. Click either page to open full size in a new tab.
Questions counsel asks before engaging us.
Our reports are prepared in substantial conformity with USPAP and are accepted by courts nationwide. We are ASCAA-certified (ASCAA-CERT-4246), and every report identifies the intended use, intended users, and scope of work — meeting the documentation standards probate courts and opposing counsel require.
Yes. We name the attorney of record, the estate, or both as intended users in the report. The effective date is locked to the date of death, separation agreement, or inspection date as required by the matter.
The report states the inspection method explicitly. Desktop appraisals are based on photos, VIN data, and comparable market analysis. On-site inspections are scheduled to your deadline. Both methods are identified in the scope of work section.
Testimony — written declaration, deposition, or trial — is available by separate written engagement. Discuss availability and scope on the initial call.
Desktop appraisals are scoped to your hearing date. On-site inspections are scheduled to your inventory deadline or mediation date. Rush availability is confirmed on the first call.
VIN, year/make/model, mileage, valuation date (date of death or separation), photos or address for inspection, case caption if you want it on the cover, and billing contact. Call or text (270) 790-7534 to open the engagement.
Yes. When a vehicle valued over $5,000 is donated to a qualified charitable organization, the IRS requires a qualified appraisal completed no earlier than 60 days before the donation and no later than the due date of the return. We produce Form 8283 Section B-compliant appraisals prepared in substantial conformity with USPAP. The report includes the appraiser qualifications page required by the IRS to substantiate the deduction.
Under IRC § 170(f)(11), a qualified appraisal for a donated vehicle must be prepared by a qualified appraiser, meet USPAP standards, state the vehicle's fair market value as of the contribution date, and be attached to the donor's tax return on Form 8283 Section B. Shawn Owens holds ASCAA-CERT-4246 and produces appraisals that meet all IRS qualified appraisal requirements for charitable contributions of vehicles valued over $5,000.
Yes. We handle multi-vehicle charitable donation appraisals for estates and trusts — each vehicle receives its own qualified appraisal report meeting IRS Form 8283 Section B requirements. We coordinate with estate counsel and the receiving organization to meet filing deadlines.
Verified Google reviews from our clients.
C M
Oct 2026
"I needed an appraisal for probate, and the process was fast, easy, and professional! The appraisal satisfied all the requirements necessary and accurately reflected the true value. Responses were very quick, which made navigating the process seamless. I will not hesitate to contact Shawn for any other appraisals I may need. He is reliable, fairly priced, and delivered a professional product as advertised."
Eleanor Shimano
Oct 2026
"I was extremely happy with my experience with your company. Shawn Owen's walked me through everything on the phone so I didn't have to do it online myself, which was a huge relief. I will spread the word about your company to all my friends, who also have antique vehicles. Eleanor Shimano"
Donna Davis
Oct 2026
"Excellent response and professional report for a time pressured situation. Shawn couldn't have been more helpful with providing my brother a fair market value for an antique Harley Davidson Knucklehead engine."
Call or text with the vehicle details and valuation date. We'll confirm scope, method, and turnaround before you commit.