What you’re covered for, in plain terms.
Cover is arranged against the value you declare at quotation, confirmed in writing before collection, and evidenced by a certificate naming the underwriter. Everything below explains how that works in practice.
Cover follows the declaration.
Not the invoice, not the appraisal in your drawer, not what the piece would fetch today. The figure you declare at quotation is the figure you are covered to, and it is the figure a settlement would be calculated against.
This is why we ask you to confirm it before collection, and why we would rather have the conversation twice than discover a gap after a loss.
If a value changes
Tell us before collection. Adjusting a declaration beforehand is administration. Adjusting it afterwards is not possible.
In transit
All-risks cover from collection to signed release, including while at our facilities in the course of a movement.
In storage
Separate cover applies to vaulted goods. It is arranged per account and stated on your storage agreement.
At exhibitions
Nail-to-nail cover can be arranged, including time on stand. Organiser cover is rarely sufficient on its own.
Certificates
Issued on request before the movement, naming the underwriter and the insured value.
Common exclusions.
Every policy has them. Ours are ordinary for the sector, but people are often surprised, so they are set out here rather than buried.
- Pre-existing damage — which is why we photograph at collection, and why your own photographs help
- Inherent vice — deterioration arising from the nature of the item itself, such as an unstable pigment or an ageing adhesive
- Under-declared value — settlement is limited to what was declared
- Consequential loss — a missed sale or exhibition deadline, unless separately arranged in advance
- Items we were not told about — undeclared contents inside a declared parcel
- War, nuclear risks and confiscation by authorities — standard market exclusions
Need a certificate?
Issued before the movement, naming the underwriter and insured value.