The International Society of Appraisers (ISA) recently presented Patricia Thompson of Tupelo, Miss., with the 2004 Lamp of Knowledge Award. This annual award honors a singular outstanding education work product pertaining to the appraisal profession as a whole or in a specialty area. This year’s award was given for Thompson’s article, “Wrestling With Watch Appraisals,” which appeared in the June 2003 (Vol. 10, No. 1) issue of Auction Market Resource (AMR).

The article guides appraisers through the minefield of appraising “those ticky-tocky things,” says Gail Levine, publisher of AMR. It features an Appraisal Take-In Form for Watches, as well as three pages of hallmarks and trademarks, and answers that age-old question: “Do I have to open the case to appraise the watch?”

Thompson is a Certified Appraiser of Personal Property (CAPP) in the ISA and a Certified Gemologist Appraiser (CGA) in the American Gem Society (AGS). She is also a Jewelers of America Certified Bench Jeweler, a Certified Watch Technician, a member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, and the owner of Way-Fil Jewelry. The author of several articles relating to the appraisal field, she has written short stories for the “Chicken Soup” books series and is the co-author of the book and plays in the “Cat Hymns” series.

Auction Market Resource has received two other Lamp of Knowledge Awards from ISA—in 1995 for the book and in 2003 for the Web site.

For more information about Auction Market Resource, its special watch edition, and additional publications and services, visit www.AuctionMarketResource.com or call Gail Brett Levine at (718) 897-7305, fax (718) 997-9057, e-mail: 76766.614@compuserve.com.