[meteorite-list] Meteorite Appraisal for Insurance?

[Doug Ross]

Hi all,

I looked into this recently, and opted for a separate policy to insure my meteorites.  The problem is that many homeowner/renter insurance policies have low coverage limits on collectibles, or exclusions/limits for "precious stones".  "Precious stones" seems to suggest gems and jewelry, not meteorites, but IME insurance companies tend to use that kind of excuse to minimize payouts in the event of a loss.  It might be possible to get a special rider on your homeowner's policy to cover your collection, but most of the insurance people I talked to had never dealt with covering meteorites, and the cost for a rider was prohibitive.

One company I found that specializes in covering collectibles, and was willing to cover a meteorite collection, is Collectibles Insurance Services, LLC.  www.collectinsure.com  The premium seemed reasonable, and they do not require appraisals for individual items valued less than $5000.  

PS The above may sound like an endorsement, but I am not affiliated with this company, and have not had any claims with them yet.  So I actually don't know how responsive they are when you need them.  Has anybody here had claims experience with Collectibles Insurance?

Doug Ross