Fine Art & Antiques

We pack and move individual artworks and agreed collections: framed prints, paintings, mirrors, antique furniture, stone or bronze sculpture and decorative pieces. Personal value and an unusual material can matter as much as a purchase price. Private owners, estates, galleries and designers can have different release, receiving and insurance arrangements.

Photograph the object in its original position before touching, taking down, lifting, cleaning or wrapping it. Record known repairs, unstable surfaces, glazing, projections, dimensions and weight where known. Newly accessible back views and later packing photographs are separate records. The moving inventory does not automatically include a formal conservation condition report.

Show both carrying routes and the final position. Review support points, protected dimensions, building hours, the release contact and who will receive the piece. We can coordinate the mover’s COI from each property’s requirements; building acceptance belongs in the plan before the appointment.

A fitted corrugated enclosure uses clean, sound board and suitable inner layers. Double-wall board has two flute layers within carton-board thickness; it does not mean stacking thick slabs around the piece. Overlapping sections need enough coverage to support the prepared object without squeezing the face.

The protected size must fit the origin and receiving routes. Agree front and back identification, lifting orientation and who opens the package. A handmade soft crate can provide useful physical protection while failing a particular separate insurance packing requirement; select the policy and proposed method together.

The protected packages are supported and secured for the agreed vehicle journey. At delivery, check condition against the initial record before the approved opening and final placement.

Crate fabrication and object packing are separate stages. A custom crate is made empty in the workshop, then brought to the client apartment, home or property for protection and packing. The initial condition record remains distinct from photographs of this later stage.

Stone, bronze, marble and outdoor sculpture can involve heavy loads, fragile details, attachments and specialist support. Tell us about anchors, plinths and access before quoting extraction and final placement. The project identifies the appropriate specialist and equipment responsibilities; a sculpture photograph does not establish crane service.

For a crate crossing a national border, regulated solid-wood packaging may need treatment and marking to ISPM 15. USDA APHIS explains the requirements and processed-wood alternatives. Plywood panels do not settle the status of solid-wood skids, battens or dunnage. Destination requirements are reviewed separately; a crating order is not a worldwide transport booking.

Old repairs, weak joints, veneered surfaces, glass doors and fixed legs change how antique furniture is supported. Review what can safely be removed and which parts travel together. Protect an intact construction rather than assume it should be dismantled like new flat-pack furniture.

A renovation can require artwork to leave before dust, water or vibration affects the room. Arrange the outward move and return, suitable climate-controlled holding, access and the contractor’s release of the receiving space. Review temperature and humidity needs, duration and the selected policy’s storage conditions; an indoor or self-storage label alone does not establish suitability.

For an estate purchase, the customer arranges payment, seller release and the actual collection appointment. A designer receiving plan can add inventory, agreed inspection photographs, exception reporting, holding and final release. Keep seller deadlines and the receiving contact connected to the art-specific packing method.

Valuation is the mover’s liability level, separate from an insurance policy. For interstate household moves, Full Value Protection applies unless Released Value is selected through the required written statement; Released Value is limited to $0.60 per pound per article. FMCSA explains those options. In-state and commercial journeys need their applicable terms.

One example is MovingInsurance.com’s current replacement-value terms: delicate or fragile items valued $5,000 to below $10,000 require solid wooden crating at the residence; $10,000 or more also requires approved third-party uncrating. Cut-down cartons and moving pads do not satisfy that form’s professional-packing requirement. These are that policy’s terms, not universal thresholds or a promise of coverage.

Use accurate supportable values and select the policy before packing. A household policy should not be assumed to cover exhibition stock or every storage facility. The quote separates labor, supplies, crate construction, carrying, transport, storage handling and duration, specialist visits, approved opening, placement, hanging and packaging collection. Company cartons are separate; specialist crating and finishing are individually quoted.

For another local access and packing comparison, read the Binghamton art and antique moving plan.