How Experts Are Chosen and Recorded

An ACAN record is only as good as the experts behind it. ACAN does not form its own opinion of an asset. It records the reports of independent experts, together with who they are, what qualifies them and anything that could affect their judgment, so the people relying on the record can weigh each report for themselves.

Who the experts are

Each asset class draws on different specialists: appraisers and title companies for property, provenance researchers, conservators, scientific laboratories and authenticators for art, gemological laboratories for stones, rights and royalty specialists for patents and music, and counsel throughout. The expert network page lists every role.

What an expert must show before reporting

• Verified identity and firm. Who the expert is, who they work for, and how to reach them.
• Licences and accreditations. Checked with the body that issued them, and re-checked when they renew.
• Experience in the specific field. A Renaissance specialist reports on Renaissance panels, not on modern sculpture.
• Professional insurance. Where the profession carries it, proof that cover is in place.
• Declared conflicts. Any link to the owner, the asset, the issuer or the buyers, declared before the work starts.
• A reporting standard. Every report is signed and dated, states its scope and methods, and says plainly what is uncertain.

The rules that keep reports independent

• Fees do not depend on the answer. Experts are paid a fixed fee, never a percentage of value and never a bonus for a favorable opinion. Who paid is shown on the record.
• No stake in the asset. An expert cannot hold an interest in the asset, the owner or the offering they report on.
• Conflicts are recorded. Anything declared is written into the record next to the report, not kept in a file.
• Second opinions where it counts. High-value or contested assets need more than one independent opinion before the record is complete.

How a report reaches the record

When a report comes in, ACAN checks that it is the report the asset needs, that it comes from an admitted expert working in their field, and that it meets the reporting standard: signed, dated, with its scope and methods stated. It is then recorded alongside the expert's credentials, the fee basis, who paid and any declared conflict. Reports the owner already holds go through the same checks.

When experts disagree, or are unsure

Expert opinion is not always clear-cut. An authentication opinion can be favorable, qualified or absent, and two appraisers can reach different values. The record shows each opinion as given, including its doubts, rather than smoothing them into a single answer. A record that admits a gap is worth more than one that hides it.

What the record does not do

ACAN does not decide whether an asset is authentic, what it is worth or whether it is a good investment. Those are judgments for the issuers, investors, lenders and insurers who rely on the record, made from the evidence and the experts behind it. See a sample record to see how experts appear on one.