RARE BOOKS, MANUSCRIPTS & ARCHIVES: appraisal & advisory services
experience
Tom Lecky provides discreet, accurate, and IRS-compliant appraisals for collectors, estates, fiduciaries, attorneys, accountants, and institutions. Based just outside New York City, he works with clients nationwide, traveling regularly for on-site inspections.
With more than 30 years in the international rare books and manuscripts market, Tom has deep experience across all levels of valuation, from single high-value items to complex archives and institutional collections. A former Head of the Books and Manuscripts Department at Christie’s, where he spent 17 years, he combines market knowledge with extensive formal training in appraisal theory, methodology, ethics, and law. Tom maintains current credentials under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), which set the nationally recognized standards for professional appraisal work.
EXPERtise
Tom’s expertise spans all fields and formats of the printed and manuscript traditions, including literature, art, science and technology, travel and exploration, historical Americana, atlases, maps, and the history of the book. He has appraised the papers of Nobel Prize–winning authors and scientists, prominent artists and composers, and significant rare books in some of the world’s most extensive private and institutional libraries.
Drawing on experience in both the public auction world and the private market, Tom offers clients the advantage of insider knowledge and a nuanced understanding of market behavior. Over the past three decades, some of the most important collections to reach the market have passed through his hands. Whether the assignment involves a single extraordinary item, a scholarly archive, or a major institutional library, Tom tailors his approach to the specific demands of the material and the needs of the client.
ethics
As a Certified Member of the Appraisers Association of America in Rare and Antiquarian Printed Books and Manuscripts and Historical Documents, and a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America, Tom adheres to the highest professional and ethical standards. His work is guided by strict codes of conduct, ensuring transparency, discretion, and compliance with all applicable rules and regulations. Clients can expect valuations that are thoroughly documented, clearly presented, and defensible for audit, insurance, or legal purposes.