ISA Newsletter

From: Earl Stoner

Date: Wed, Oct 1, 2025 at 11:53 AM

Subject: Congratulations!

To: attictoappraisals18@gmail.com

Hello Janet,

Congratulations, the name ISA Insights that you submitted for consideration has been selected as the new name for the monthly ISA Newsletter.  You can see how it looks with the newly posted October 2025 Newsletter  https://www.isa-appraisers.org/content/documents/month_at_a_glance.pdf

Again, thank you and congratulations!

Earl Stoner

石東升

Associate Director, ISA

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What I Learned Appraising a Stunt Plane

I once had the unique opportunity to appraise a stunt plane. This wasn’t just any aircraft, the pilot had built it himself and flown it in countless airshows. His favorite event was the Oshkosh Air Show.

After the pilot passed away, his widow donated the plane to the Clow Museum in Bolingbrook. When I got the assignment, I’ll be honest, I didn’t know one iota about aviation. But I was determined to figure it out.

I reached out to an aviation expert in Arizona who agreed to help, but the legwork was up to me. That meant climbing a ladder, peering into the engine, and snapping detailed photos of every angle. At one point I said to the guys at the airport, “Wow, this engine is so clean!” They looked at me like I had three heads and said, “Lady, if your car engine has trouble, you can pull over, right?” I nodded. “Well… in the air, YOU CAN’T.” Point taken.

The expert used my photos and answers to draft the description and assign the value. It was an unforgettable experience and one of the most fascinating appraisals I’ve ever worked on.

1974 Pitts S-1S

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From Amsterdam to New York: Behind the Scenes of a Painting Appraisal

A favorite appraisal of mine was a painting that connected me to some of the most incredible art experts in the world. I reached out to specialists in Brussels, Paris, London, and New York, each of them renowned in their field. At the time, many were attending the Maastricht Festival in Amsterdam, which I quickly learned is one of the most prestigious art fairs in the world.

These experts weren’t just well-known, they were history-makers. One of them had even discovered the Salvator Mundi, the painting later sold to a Saudi prince for a record-breaking $450 million, making it the most expensive artwork ever sold.

What struck me most was how responsive and generous many of them were with their time. It was an awe-inspiring experience to have access to that level of knowledge and expertise.

16th Century Painting

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