Expertise & Company History

About McAllister/Fossum

Founded in 1980 by Lynn McAllister, PhD, McAllister/Fossum Appraisal Services is among the leading personal property appraisal firms in the Pacific Northwest. We strive to meet the expectations of our clientele, providing prompt, strictly confidential, personalized service and reports produced to our high standards. It is this quality of service which has earned us the reputation we have enjoyed for over 30 years.

Erin G. Fossum, MA

Erin Fossum is an Accredited Member of the International Society of Appraisers (ISA), the largest association of trained and tested personal property appraisers in the US. All of her appraisals conform to the standards and requirements set forth in the ISA’s Code of Ethics and Report Writing Standard. The IRS requires appraisers to conform to the Appraisal Foundation’s Uniform Standard of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), and Erin has passed the USPAP examination. Her appraisal documents also meet the other requirements specified by the Internal Revenue Service, which have become the benchmark for the appraisal processes and documents.

Erin worked with Lynn McAllister for years before deciding to partner with Lynn to form McAllister/Fossum Appraisal Services, and eventually buying the appraisal business in early 2012. Erin earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in 2006, graduating with honors. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Art History from the University of Washington in 2009 where she specialized in 19th and 20th century European art, and Native American art and artifacts. She wrote a Masters thesis titled Post-Colonial Narratives in the First World: The Paintings of Kent Monkman. She worked at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery at the University of Washington from 2008 through 2010, where she worked on outreach, exhibition design and installation. Prior to working at the gallery, Erin had the opportunity to assist in teaching several courses at the University of Washington, including survey courses covering ancient art, medieval art and modern art. She also assisted in teaching a class on Northwest Coast Native art and culture. [view Erin’s resume]

Lynn McAllister, PhD

Lynn McAllister was an approved appraiser for the Internal Revenue Service, Western Washington. She has served as an expert witness for the IRS District Counsel Lawyers and conducted museum appraisals for the IRS. She has testified in court for the IRS, corporations and for private clients and has never lost a case in her thirty years as an appraiser. Lynn was a fine art appraiser and also qualified as a Certified Appraiser of Residential Contents and Fine Arts through Indiana University.

Lynn’s education includes a doctorate (PhD) in the History of Art with specialization in European and American areas from the Renaissance to Modern art from Cornell University. She also taught college courses at the Seattle Art Museum on Northwest art and have published essays in current books on the subject. Lynn owned and operated Lynn McAllister Appraisal Services for more than 30 years before retiring in early 2012.

The Importance of Disinterest

A key mark of a professional appraiser is their financial “disinterest” in the value of your items. In contrast, art galleries, dealers and art consultants are often involved in buying or selling the work of artists or makers that you have in your collection; therefore galleries, dealers, and art consultants may have a conflict of interest in terms of their ability to set a value for your items. The disinterested status of a professional appraiser is a very important asset for the client.

As qualified professional appraisers we provide confidential third-party appraisals with no conflict of interest. You are guaranteed an impartial, unbiased appraisal, based on information drawn from a wide range of relevant markets.