getting a valuable collection appraised ??

[Exhibitman]

You really don't need an appraisal unless you are doing something with your collection, like donating it. If the collection is just sitting there, an appraisal is useless. It is a snapshot of what an item is worth at a given point. In other words, it is like a donut: the longer it sits around the house, the more stale it gets.

You also don't need one for insurance unless there is a loss and a fight. The specialty insurers for collectibles will issue a blanket policy and only require specific scheduling (listing) of single items above a certain value threshold, and they will happily take your money based on whatever value you want to stick into the schedule.