Invaluable Help is organized into 7 sections that answer common questions about the following subjects:
1. System Requirements
2. Free Invaluable Services
3. Invaluable Subscriptions
4. Searching the Invaluable Database
5. Navigating Through Search Results
6. Printing Search Results
7. Contacting Invaluable and Auction Houses
1. System Requirements
A) An important note for AOL Internet Service users:
In order to use the Invaluable database you will need to use Microsoft’s
Internet Explorer Browser Version 5.5 or later. Most Windows-based PCs
ship with Microsoft Internet Explorer installed, however if you do not
have a current version you may obtain a free copy at the following link:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/ie6sp1/default.asp.
Once you have Microsoft Internet Explorer on your personal computer, access
Invaluable using your AOL account as follows:
1) Sign-In to AOL as you would normally.
2) When your AOL account appears on the screen, minimize the entire AOL
window (the outermost) by clicking on the “_” button in the
upper-most right corner of your screen.
3) Locate Microsoft Internet Explorer by clicking on the “Start”
button (in the lower left corner of your screen); click on the “e”
explorer icon, or if not present in the Start menu, go to “Programs”
or “All Programs” to find the “e” explorer icon
and click on it.
4) After opening Microsoft Internet Explorer, go to Invaluable by typing
http://www.Invaluable.com in the Address
bar.
5) When you’re done using Invaluable you may continue to browse using
Internet Explorer, or close Internet Explorer by clicking on the “X”
button in the top right corner of the screen. Resume using AOL by maximizing
the AOL window at the bottom of your screen, and right-click the mouse.
A small menu will appear with six choices. Move the mouse over the top
choice and “Restore” AOL by left-clicking the mouse. Your
AOL screen will reappear.
B) Browser Recommendation:
Invaluable is optimized to run on Windows-based personal computers using
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Version 5.5 or later. Some recent
versions of other browsers such as Netscape and Safari may function, but
have not been thoroughly tested nor are they recommended or supported
by Invaluable. The most current version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer
is available without charge at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/ie6sp1/default.asp.
2. Free Invaluable Services
A) Why do I need to register with Invaluable; what will it cost?
Registering
with Invaluable is FREE. You will not be charged to create your account or
access any of the free Invaluable services described below. Before registration
you can use the website to learn about Invaluable, and access certain free
services. Please click on Auction Features Overview and Fine Art Overview
in the red navigation bar to learn which services require registration,
and which don't.
After registering
with Invaluable for free, you will be able to: 1) search or browse catalogs
of upcoming auctions and view search results complete with photos and
estimated prices; 2) research prominent auction houses including house
history, upcoming auctions, and previous auction highlights; 3) search
the entire past auctions database but view only partial results (without
full descriptive information, photos, or estimated and Realised prices
); and 4) research artists by name or style (includes biographies, examples
of their art work in the Invaluable database, pricing metrics, related artists,
and links to other valuable free content on the Internet).
In order
to see past auction records complete with photos and actual prices paid,
you will need to subscribe to one of the many Invaluable paid subscription
plans that start as little as $20 per month. Please visit the Why Subscribe
page to learn more about Invaluable subscription plans and benefits.
B)
How do I register to create my account with Invaluable?
You will
need to register with Invaluable only once when you establish your account
regardless of whether you are registering for free Invaluable services, or
subscribing to one of the many paid subscription plans available for as
little as $20 per month. You can register anytime, and it is simple and
quick.
To create
your new Invaluable user account please go to the Sign-In/Register Page and
locate "Are you a new Invaluable user?". Click on “Register
Now” and you will then see the "Register/Edit Profile"
page. Please fill out the entire form since all fields are required. All
information that you provide to Invaluable is transmitted using safe, private
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.
After your
account has been created you may use the "My Invaluable" page to manage
your user information, or change your account status (subscribe, re-subscribe,
extend, or upgrade). Please keep your username and password stored in
a safe confidential place since they are necessary to log in and access
the Invaluable databases or manage your account.
If you ever
forget your username or password, go to the Sign-In/Register Page and
submit the original email address that you registered. Your username and
password will be emailed to you at that email address.
3. Invaluable Subscriptions
A)
Why should I subscribe to Invaluable?
Invaluable is
the largest and most complete online database of antiques and art market
information. The completeness of Invaluable makes it the best tool for pricing,
identifying, researching, and finding antiques and art. Invaluable is the
only service licensed by traditional auction houses to aggregate and publish
their unabridged catalogs including photographs, expert research, and
the actual selling price of each item. And Invaluable's search capabilities
provide instant and intuitive access to millions of items sold at more
than 30,000 auctions worldwide
In order
to view past auction records with complete descriptions, available photos,
and estimated and actual prices paid, you will need to subscribe to one
of the many Invaluable paid subscription plans that start as low as $20 per
month. Subscriptions are available in three different levels (Basic, Premium,
and Professional) with flexible payment and access options. For more information,
or to subscribe to Invaluable please go to the "Why Subscribe"
page.
B)
How do I subscribe to Invaluable?
Subscriptions
to Invaluable are available anytime anywhere by providing a major credit
card to the transaction processing system on the Invaluable Secure Socket
Layer (SSL) server. Subscribing is fast and easy.
i) If you
want to subscribe but have never created a user account by registering
or subscribing before, please click on "Subscribe" in the "Subscription
Services:" section at the bottom of the red navigation bar. You will
then go to the "Choose Your Invaluable Subscription" page.
Or, if you
previously created a user account by registering with Invaluable but don’t
have an active subscription, log in by going to the "Sign-In/Register"
page and entering your Username and Password. Once logged in, click on
"My Invaluable" in the the red navigation bar to access your "Account
Information" page. Click on the link that says "I want to subscribe"
to access the "Choose Your Invaluable Subscription" page.
ii) Please
choose the subscription plan that you'd like by clicking in the corresponding
"radio button". If you received a promotional offer or are using
a coupon, submit the code in the space provided. Next review the Subscription
and Terms of Use Agreements by clicking on the corresponding links. Both
Agreements are legally binding, so please review them carefully. If you
accept the terms of both agreements, click the " I Accept "
button at the bottom of the "Choose Your Invaluable Subscription Page"
and proceed to the secure "Subscribe to Invaluable Page".
You will
not be obligated to pay Invaluable, nor will your credit card be billed until
after you complete the form with all of your account and credit card information
and submit it by clicking the "Process Transaction" button at
the end of the "Subscribe to Invaluable" page. This is a secure
process utilizing a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) processing system to ensure
credit card safety. Fill in all required information in the "Subscribe
to Invaluable" page. Follow the instructions on the form for submitting
your account and credit card information. If any required information
is not submitted, the page will return with instructions about which information
is missing. After completing the form click the "Process Transaction"
button at the end of the "Subscribe to Invaluable" page, print
a copy of the invoice for your records, and start using your subscription.
C)
How do I extend, renew, or upgrade my subscription?
i) If your
subscription has not expired and you wish to extend it before it expires,
or if you have an active subscription that you’d like to upgrade
to a higher level subscription, you may do so as follows. First, log in
by going to the "Sign-In/Register" page and entering your username
and password. Once logged in, click on "My Invaluable" in the
"Website Tools:" section of the red navigation bar at the top
left corner of the screen to access the "Account Information"
page. On the Account Information page click the "Upgrade or Renew"
button. You will go to the “Choose Your Invaluable Subscription Page”.
ii) Please
choose the subscription plan that you'd like by clicking in the corresponding
"radio button". If you received a promotional offer, or are
using a coupon, submit the code in the space provided. Next review the
Subscription and Terms of Use Agreements by clicking on the corresponding
links. Both Agreements are legally binding, so please review them carefully.
If you accept the terms of both agreements, click the " I Accept
" button at the bottom of the "Choose Your Invaluable Subscription
Page" and proceed to the secure "Subscribe to Invaluable Page".
iii) If you
are upgrading from a subscription that has value remaining to a higher
level subscription (from Basic to Premium, or from Premium to Professional),
you will have the option of applying that value towards the purchase of
the higher level subscription. Any time on the lower value subscription
that results from a promotion or coupon may not be applied to a higher
value subscription and is always used last (at the end of the original
subscription period). For example, if you purchase a 12 month Basic service
subscription using a coupon that provides one month for free, then there
will be no remaining value to apply towards an upgrade to Premium level
subscription after 11 months. Choose one of the options presented on the
"Upgrade Subscription" page and click the “Next”
button.
iv) After
choosing your subscription and any upgrade option, you will go to the
"Subscribe to Invaluable Page". You will not be obligated to pay
Invaluable, nor will your credit card be billed until after you complete
the form with any necessary credit card information and submit it by clicking
the "Process Transaction" button at the end of the "Subscribe
to Invaluable" page. This is a secure process utilizing a Secure Socket
Layer (SSL) processing system to ensure credit card safety. Since you
have previously provided a credit card, you may pay using one of the following
options: i) use the original card again if it has not expired; ii) edit
the original card information if it has a new expiration date; iii) use
a different card on file with Invaluable; or iv) provide a new valid credit
card. After completing the form, click the "Process Transaction"
button at the end of the "Subscribe to Invaluable" page, print
a copy of the invoice for your records, and start using your subscription.
D)
I would like to subscribe to Invaluable, but my organization won’t
reimburse me for my credit card subscription payment to Invaluable. How do
I pay with my organization’s check?
Invaluable subscriptions
generally are not available through any form of payment other than online
credit card, but if you represent a non-profit organization that can only
subscribe by purchase order and has a written policy prohibiting credit
card reimbursement, please call Lynel Leonard at (617) 219-1020.
E)
How do I change my renewal options?
Invaluable offers
manual or automatic subscription renewal. Manual renewal requires you
to go through the subscription process every time you renew, while automatic
renewal automatically renews your account and charges your credit card
at the end of each subscription term. To switch renewal option, first
log in to Invaluable and click on "My Invaluable" in the red navigation bar
to access your "Account Information" page. In the “Current
Subscription Details” section you will find your current renewal
setting. Click the “Make auto" or "Make manual" link
in the right hand margin to change the setting.
F)
How do I review my transaction history?
Your entire
account history may be viewed on your "Account Information"
page. First you must log in from the "Sign-In/Register" page
by submitting your username and password, then click on "My Invaluable"
in the red navigation bar to access your "Account Information"
page. At the bottom of the page you will see your “Subscription
History”. To get a detailed view of a particular transaction, click
on the transaction number on the left side of the page.
4. Searching the Invaluable Database
A)
How do I search the Invaluable auction results database?
There are
several ways to search the Invaluable database. All of the searches available
through "Auction Features" and "Fine Art Features"
allow users to view PORTIONS of the Invaluable database for free (although
registration is required in most cases). Please hover over these features
for a description of each. They include: i) search fine art works by artist
name and art style; ii) search upcoming auctions by catalog or keyword;
iii) search auction house by name; iv) and search past auction results
by keyword with results showing only auction house, title, and partial
description. In order to see complete auction results, it is necessary
to subscribe to Invaluable using one of the many flexible and affordable
plans.
B)
How do I perform a keyword search?
Keyword search allows you to be specific about which keywords and phrases
you would like to be included in and/or excluded from your results. Keyword
searches are available by clicking on "AUCTION FEATURES: Search Auction
Results" and "SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: Search Auction Prices".
Keyword searches
are the most precise way to search the Invaluable database since they utilize
the most precise relevancy ranking technology available. Searches generally
take less than 10 seconds with a high-speed Internet connection. The more
results that fit your search criteria, the longer time the page will take
to load. Results are limited to 500 items, and are returned with fifty
on each page.
General conditions
that apply to Invaluable keyword searches include: 1) Boolean terms are not
necessary (i.e. do not use AND, OR, or NOT ); 2) searches are not case
sensitive; 3) do not use quotes or punctuation; and 4) separate words
with spaces only.
There are four functions in keyword searches; at least one word must be
entered in one of the function boxes to complete a search. The more functions
used, the more precise the search results become. Search functions may
be used independently or in combination.
i) All the
words in any order:
The most
basic search, it will only return records that contain ALL of the words
entered in the search box. For example, a search containing Alfred Thompson
Bricher will only return records that contain all three words at least
once. An auction record that contains Alfred Bricher in one sentence and
Thompson two sentences later will also return since any record containing
the three words anywhere in the record in any order would meet this search
criteria. A record with just the words Alfred Bricher, but not Thompson
would not be returned.
ii) Any of
the words:
This search
function will return records where at least one of the words appears,
but not necessarily all. This search feature is most effective when used
in conjunction with others. The “All the words in any order”
search example above for Alfred Thompson Bricher will return all records
with at least one mention of the three words any where in the auction
records. Using the “Any of the words” search in addition you
could add that the records must contain the words oil and/or watercolor.
Only records that contain Alfred, Thompson and Bricher with at least one
mention of oil, watercolor, or both oil and watercolor will be returned.
In this example, charcoal drawings by Alfred Thompson Bricher without
mention of oil and watercolor would be excluded.
iii) The
exact phrase:
This search
function returns only results that contain the exact phrase entered (i.e.
all the same words in the same order). For example, searching for Alfred
Bricher using “The exact phrase” function will only return
auction records that contain the words Alfred Bricher in exact order,
but will not return records that contain Alfred Thompson Bricher.
iv) Exclude
the words:
This search
function should be used in conjunction with one of the others to exclude
records. This function is extremely useful for narrowing large search
results or limiting irrelevant matches. For example an “All the
words in any order” search for Alfred Bricher will return all auction
records with at least one mention of both words anywhere. By using the
“Exclude the words” function and the words landscape and watercolor
the search results would be narrowed to focus on portrait and still life
oil paintings.
Once your
keywords have been entered, choose the time period you would like to search
by clicking on All, Upcoming, or Past in the “search scope”
drop down menu. Click the “Search” button on the bottom right
of the screen to complete the search.
If you would
like Invaluable to remember your most recent search, click on “Remember
These Search Criteria” before performing the search.
C)
How are search results returned?
After you submit your Speed or Advanced Search, results are returned in
the Item Search Results that include basic information about each auction
record including lot number, lot title, brief description, auction house,
estimate, realised price, and available thumbnail images. The Item Search
Results do not include the full detail of the auction record provided
to Invaluable by auction house. To learn more about full descriptions contained
in Lot Details, please see F) below.
If more than
50 results are returned, you may navigate to the next pages using the
“Next 50” button on the top or bottom of the screen. Additionally
you may navigate to a specific page by using the “Jump To Page”
feature at the bottom of the search results page.
In order
to maintain a high level of performance, Invaluable limits both basic and
advanced search results to 500 total lots. For more precise results, searches
that return more than 500 matches be refined using the advanced search
functions, see C) above.
5. Navigating through Search Results
A) Can I sort my search results?
Yes. Search
results may be sorted by lot number, auction date, and price in ascending
or descending order.
The default
sort for all searches is by date. Data may be re-sorted at the top of
the search results page by clicking on the desired sort in the drop down
menu at the top of the screen.
B)
I have my results, now how do I see more information on a specific lot?
To access
the full record view simply click on the thumbnail image in the summary
screen or on the gray “Lot Details” button. The lot detail
screen displays the entire auction record including any additional photos
and expanded text descriptions including condition, provenance, dimensions
and more. See more information about printing this information below.
C)
How do I return to my search results from the Lot Detail view?
To return
to the original search results from the Lot Detail view, click on the
“Return to Lot Summary”. Additionally, if you would like to
navigate from one item detail to the next without returning to the Item
Search Results, click on “Next Lot” in the Lot Detail screen.
Please do not use the “Back” button on your browser.
D)
How do I see a larger image?
Click on
the thumbnail (small) image in the lot detail screen to reveal a larger
version. You may leave the image open as long as you wish and even open
other images to compare against. See more information about printing this
information below.
E)
I clicked on the thumbnail but no image popped up.
If you have
a “pop-up” blocker installed on your computer, it may prevent
the image window from opening. Most popular pop-up blockers include a
feature that allows you to disable the blocking software for certain websites.
Please refer to your pop-up blocker’s documentation.
6. Printing Search Results
A)
How do I print the Lot Detail page?
Just like
any other page in your Internet Explorer browser, you may print Invaluable
Lot Detail pages as follows:
i) Position
your mouse at the beginning of the information you wish to print from
the Lot Detail page (e.g. at the top of the page: the auction house or
item title), left-click and continue to hold your mouse while highlighting
the remainder of the page (highlighted area will appear blue on most screens)
that you wish to print (e.g. the bottom of the lot description).
ii) Once
you have highlighted the information you wish to print, you may stop holding
the left click of your mouse (your selection will remain highlighted).
iii) Right
click your mouse and select “Print” on the small menu.
iv) In the
Print Range section of the Print Menu, you will see button options corresponding
to “All”, “Pages: _ to _” and “Selection”.
Choose “Selection” and then select the OK button at the bottom
of the page to print.
B)
How do I print Image Detail pages (large photos)?
If you would
like to print the Image Detail of an object (the larger photo), you may
do so as follows:
i) Position
your mouse over the border between the photo edge and the image frame
(NOT directly over the photo itself).
ii) Right
click and a menu should appear that includes a “Print” option
(above “Refresh”).
iii) Left
click on “Print”.
iv) In the
Print Range section of the Print Menu, you will see button options corresponding
to “All”, “Pages: _ to _” and “Selection”.
Choose “All” and then select the OK button at the bottom of
the page to print.
7. Contacting Invaluable and Auction Houses
A) How do I contact Invaluable?
If you experience any difficulties using Invaluable, please contact technical support during normal business hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST, M-F) by email at customer.services@invaluable.com. For general inquiries, please call Lynel Leonard at (617) 219-1020.
B) May I contact an auction house about an item in an upcoming
auction?
Yes, some
auction houses are very interested in receiving your inquiries about items
in their Upcoming Auctions. To contact an auction house regarding an item
click on the “Request More Information” button on the bottom
right hand corner of the Item Detail page. An email window will appear
that allows you to submit a question. All emails are sent directly to
the auction house.
If you would
like to contact the auction house by phone, simply click on the auction
house name. A pop-up window will appear with the auction house contact
information including any available phone numbers. Please tell the auction
house that your are referring to an upcoming auction catalog on Invaluable,
and make sure to have the date and lot number(s) available when calling
to allow the auction house to answer your questions in a timely manner.
NOTE: Some
auction house do not allow direct emails from Invaluable, in these cases
you will need to contact the house via the provided phone number.
C)
How do I place a bid for an item in an upcoming auction?
Unless indicated in the Lot Details, you must contact
the auction house directly or attend the auction in person to place a
bid.
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