Firearm appraisals are conducted at your location. I'll come out inspect and document the firearm and give you an initial evaluation. The initial evaluation will be a quick look over to determine if there needs to be more extensive research. Most cases do not need that type of research. As a rule you can think of a situation where a specific person, say a president, gave the firearm to your family. At the point I'll have to research the claim and see if it can be proven. If it can then I can used that information in my appraisal estimate.

The appraisal will consist of documenting the firearm and all the details about it. It will also be photographed as part of the documentation and the will help show the grade of the firearm. Condition is very important especially with antique weapons. A nick or a gouge can make a big difference in the price. The boar of the firearm will be inspected and photographed. I use a boar scope to take pictures from inside the barrel to document the condition.

After all the firearms have been inspected I'll document my sources for estimating the value. You'll be provided pictures of the sources used. Then I'll make my final appraisal on the value. You'll get documentation of all the characteristics firearm, pictures of the firearm (both on paper and digital photos), pictures of the boar (both on paper and digital photos) and the reference sources used for the evaluation.

The condition of the firearm will be based on the NRA grading standards.  For the NRA there two types of firearm, "Modern" and "Antique". As a rule everything made after 1898 is considered modern.
 
When all firearms are completed, you'll get a notebook of all the evaluations request and a USB drive with all the documentation and pictures used for all the firearms appraised. I'll also author a final tally of the value of all the weapons appraised along with any other appraisals (for example some coins that were appraised).