Al Mercer
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Al Mercer |
| Credentials | Antique Autos | Rods & Customs | Automobilia |
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Al Mercer is a Certified Appraiser with the International Vehicle Appraisers Network who lives outside St. Louis, and is well qualified to help you with your appraisal needs in Missouri and Southern Illinois. The International Vehicle Appraisers Network is a nationwide association of automotive hobbyists who are also appraisers. |
| Mercer Mercer - Al knows all about the automobile hobby first hand - here he is with his 1922 Mercer Runabout, currently under restoration. |
“Hobbyists Helping Hobbyists”
Tired of so-called 'experts' who don't really know the hobby?
Al Mercer is a Senior Master Judge for the Antique
Automobile Club of America (AACA). He
has been a member of AACA for over 30 years and has held numerous offices within
local AACA Clubs such as President, Meet Chairman, and Chief Judge.
He also belongs to the Fairlane Club of America and the Mercer
Associates, as well as the First Capital Classics Auto Club of St. Louis.
Al recently retired after 35 years with the Ford Motor
Company as a Production Engineer. He
is currently restoring his 1922 Mercer Runabout.
Al can help you with your appraisal needs for antiques
& classics, rods & customs, and for automobile related collectibles (automobilia).
Whether you need an appraisal to get the right type & amount of
insurance, need help settling an insurance claim, want to buy or sell a vehicle
at the right price, make a charitable donation, for estate purposes, or for a
divorce settlement, etc., Al Mercer can help you..
Contact Al Mercer at: Mercer@i-van.org or at (636) 928-8672.
Vehicles
Currently Owned
 | 1922 Mercer Runabout |
| 1968 Ford Fairlane Convertible |
| 1968 Ford XL Convertible |
Club
Memberships
| Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) for over 30 years |
| Tidewater Region AACA in Virginia |
| Gateway City Region AACA in Missouri |
| Fairlane Club of America for over 25 years |
| Mercer Associates for over 20 year |
| First Capital Classics Auto Club in St. Louis, MOs |
Back to International Vehicle Appraiser's Network
Credentials and Qualifications
| Certified Appraiser in the International Vehicle Appraisers Network (I-VAN). I-VAN is a nationwide association. Appraisals accepted by Insurance Companies, Banks, Credit Unions, Museums, IRS and courts of Law (Expert Witness), etc |
| Antique Automobile Club of America Senior Master Judge (#727) with 30 National Judging Credits. Chief Judge at numerous local car shows. |
| Ford Motor Company – Retired after 35 years as a Production Engineer: Body Engineer, Special Vehicles Engineer, Senior Welding Engineer, and Senior Production Engineer with suspension, interior trim assembly, and Quality Control duties. |
| Authorized to do appraisals for the AACA National Museum, America on Wheels Museum, etc. |
| Thirty-Five year involvement with antique, special interest, and performance vehicles. |
Back to International Vehicle Appraiser's Network
Al is a Senior Certified Appraiser with I-VAN – International Vehicle Appraiser Network. Our motto at I-VAN is ”Hobbyists Helping Hobbyists”. Our nationwide association of appraisers is made up of very experienced automotive hobbyists who also are automobile appraisers. As a group we specialize in appraising antique/classic/collectable vehicles. Some of our Certified Appraisers also do Diminished Value, Fraud, and Lemon Law appraisals. All of I-VAN’s Certified Appraisers guarantee no conflict of interest because we do not: restore, buy/sell, paint, fix, transport, export, or insure, etc any old cars for a living…we are hobbyists first and foremost - we own the types of cars we appraise.
“Hobbyists Helping Hobbyists”
1) Insurance: Protect your
investment of Time and Money. There
are a great many insurance companies that will cover your collector car with
Comprehensive and Collision coverage. However,
many will tell you that your vehicle will be covered for “actual cash value”
or “book value” (ie: they decide what your vehicle is “worth” at the
time of a claim) unless you provide an appraisal.
The best way to be sure that your car is protected properly is to have a
professional appraisal on file with your insurance company and have an
endorsement to your policy indicating the type and/or amount of coverage your
vehicle has. Not all companies
offer this coverage; however, my appraisals are accepted by all insurance
companies that do offer this coverage. My
appraisal will also be of immense help if you’re hit by the driver of some
other insurance company or if that driver is uninsured.
Without an appraisal an unqualified person who is unfamiliar with your
vehicle may be determining how much you’re going to collect at the time of a
loss. Important: did you know that
during restoration in your own garage your vehicle is NOT covered for fire/theft
under your homeowners policy? (only your automobile policy protects your car) Protect
your investment!
2) Selling
a Collector Vehicle: An appraisal can be a tremendous help when selling a
collector vehicle. First, it
eliminates a lot of haggling or “negotiating” because the vehicle’s market
value has been established. Secondly,
offering the vehicle for sale at 5-10% below the appraised value makes a
prospective buyer think he’s getting quite a bargain.
Third, a qualified buyer can use the appraisal to get a loan from his
bank, and other lending institutions, to assist in buying your vehicle (many
financial institutions in Virginia and the surrounding areas will loan up to 80%
of my appraised value).
3) Collateral: The value of your collector vehicle helps to increase your “net worth”.
4) Donation/Gift: The IRS requires an appraisal for any gift to a charity or
eligible museum, etc. Further, the
appraiser must complete and sign the appropriate IRS forms before you can take a
tax deduction for your donation. I
have helped many museums and charities receive vehicle donations and helped the
donors receive their proper tax deduction with the correct paperwork.
5) Estate: Because your collector vehicle has value it is part of your
estate. My appraisal helps prevent
your heirs from being “ripped off” when they try to sell your vehicles).
It will also help your heirs determine how to divide your estate fairly.
Larger estates facing estate taxes can protect against overpayment of
taxes.
6) Divorce: Yes, the “D word”. Don’t
ever let a court or some attorney determine what your vehicle is worth.
7) Buying
a Collector Vehicle: A pre-purchase appraisal could protect you against overpaying
for a vehicle. It can also make a
seller more reasonable in the asking price.
My appraisal establishes the loan value if you’re going to finance part
of this purchase.
8) Claim
Settlement: If you’re arguing with an insurance company over the value
of your vehicle after a loss then my appraisal NOW can be a big help.
It’s not as easy to appraise a vehicle after an accident, fire, etc but
it can be done if not too much time has gone by.
9) Fraud: Did you buy a vehicle “sight unseen” or over the internet
and, when you received it, believe that you have been cheated?
My appraisal can help build your case.
Did you buy a vehicle because the owner said “matching numbers” and
find out later that it’s not? Was the vehicle advertised as having never been in an
accident and you’ve discovered otherwise.
Did you discover flood damage?
10) Substandard
Restoration: Did
you pay for a prize winning restoration only to find out that the only prize you
will win is the “booby prize”? Does
the paint come off in the rain? Is
the chrome peeling three months later?
Back to International Vehicle Appraiser's Network
Al is a Senior Certified Appraiser with I-VAN – International Vehicle Appraiser Network. Our motto at I-VAN is ”Hobbyists Helping Hobbyists”. Our nationwide association of appraisers is made up of very experienced automotive hobbyists who also are automobile appraisers. As a group we specialize in appraising antique/classic/collectable vehicles. Some of our Certified Appraisers (like myself) also do Diminished Value, Fraud, and Lemon Law appraisals. All of I-VAN’s Certified Appraisers guarantee no conflict of interest because we do not: restore, buy/sell, paint, fix, transport, export, or insure, etc any old cars for a living…we are hobbyists first and foremost - we own the types of cars we appraise.
“Hobbyists Helping Hobbyists”
1)
Insurance: Protect your
investment of Time and Money. There
are a great many insurance companies that will cover your collector car with
Comprehensive and Collision coverage. However,
many will tell you that your vehicle will be covered for “actual cash value”
or “book value” (ie: they decide what your vehicle is “worth” at the
time of a claim) unless you provide an appraisal.
The best way to be sure that your car is protected properly is to have a
professional appraisal on file with your insurance company and have an
endorsement to your policy indicating the type and/or amount of coverage your
vehicle has. Not all companies
offer this coverage; however, my appraisals are accepted by all insurance
companies that do offer this coverage. My
appraisal will also be of immense help if you’re hit by the driver of some
other insurance company or if that driver is uninsured.
Without an appraisal an unqualified person who is unfamiliar with your
vehicle may be determining how much you’re going to collect at the time of a
loss. Important: did you know that
during restoration in your own garage your vehicle is NOT covered for fire/theft
under your homeowners policy? (only your automobile policy protects your car) Protect
your investment!
2) Selling
a Collector Vehicle: An appraisal can be a tremendous help when selling a
collector vehicle. First, it
eliminates a lot of haggling or “negotiating” because the vehicle’s market
value has been established. Secondly,
offering the vehicle for sale at 5-10% below the appraised value makes a
prospective buyer think he’s getting quite a bargain.
Third, a qualified buyer can use the appraisal to get a loan from his
bank, and other lending institutions, to assist in buying your vehicle (many
financial institutions in Virginia and the surrounding areas will loan up to 80%
of my appraised value).
3) Collateral: The value of your collector vehicle helps to increase your “net worth”.
4) Donation/Gift: The IRS requires an appraisal for any gift to a charity or
eligible museum, etc. Further, the
appraiser must complete and sign the appropriate IRS forms before you can take a
tax deduction for your donation. I
have helped many museums and charities receive vehicle donations and helped the
donors receive their proper tax deduction with the correct paperwork.
5) Estate: Because your collector vehicle has value it is part of your
estate. My appraisal helps prevent
your heirs from being “ripped off” when they try to sell your vehicles).
It will also help your heirs determine how to divide your estate fairly.
Larger estates facing estate taxes can protect against overpayment of
taxes.
6) Divorce: Yes, the “D word”. Don’t
ever let a court or some attorney determine what your vehicle is worth.
7) Buying
a Collector Vehicle: A pre-purchase appraisal could protect you against overpaying
for a vehicle. It can also make a
seller more reasonable in the asking price.
My appraisal establishes the loan value if you’re going to finance part
of this purchase.
8) Claim
Settlement: If you’re arguing with an insurance company over the value
of your vehicle after a loss then my appraisal NOW can be a big help.
It’s not as easy to appraise a vehicle after an accident, fire, etc but
it can be done if not too much time has gone by.
9) Fraud: Did you buy a vehicle “sight unseen” or over the internet
and, when you received it, believe that you have been cheated?
My appraisal can help build your case.
Did you buy a vehicle because the owner said “matching numbers” and
find out later that it’s not? Was the vehicle advertised as having never been in an
accident and you’ve discovered otherwise.
Did you discover flood damage?
10)
Substandard
Restoration: Did
you pay for a prize winning restoration only to find out that the only prize you
will win is the “booby prize”? Does
the paint come off in the rain? Is
the chrome peeling three months later?
If you collect Automobilia then you should consider having some or all of it appraised to get the proper insurance coverage (and for many of the other same reasons that you would have your collector vehicle appraised).
Automobilia may include, but is not limited to: porcelain signs, automobile toys, art, figurines, books and literature, sheet music, mascots, car parts (ex: brass lamps, horns, hub caps, etc), old auto tools, pedal cars, etc. Mr. Mercer’s experience and connections in the hobby can produce the proper appraisal of your automobilia.
This page was last updated on 03/12/05.