Professional Designation
Accredited Member of the International Society of Appraisers
Our Appraisers
Ashley Stokke
1-844-ITEM-VAL (1-844-483-6825) Main Office Extension 1
Personal Property Appraiser
ISA Accredited Member • IRS-Qualified Appraiser
Ashley Stokke, ISA AM
Midwest Personal Property Appraiser Specializing in Antiques, Furnishings and Decorative Arts
Ashley Stokke is a personal property appraiser with Prestige Estate Services whose professional perspective was shaped by years in the antiques trade and continued formal appraisal education. Based in Iowa, her regional appraisal experience includes projects across Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and surrounding Midwest markets.
Her work may support estate tax, probate, equitable distribution, insurance, charitable contribution, damage and loss, and other defined valuation needs when the assignment and property fall within her competency. Ashley’s experience extends from household contents and antique furnishings to musical instruments, memorabilia, antique toys, large equipment, museum collections and historically significant property. Prestige Estate Services appraises tangible personal property. We do not provide real estate appraisals.
Midwest Coverage
Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and select surrounding markets
Primary Specialty
Antiques, furnishings, decorative arts and residential contents
Current Education
Seven-Hour USPAP Update completed in November 2025
Experience Rooted in the Midwest Antiques Market
Ashley Stokke’s Personal Property Appraisal Practice
Ashley combines practical object knowledge, formal appraisal methodology and continued subject-matter study to help clients define and document the value of tangible personal property for a specific intended use.
Midwest Personal Property Appraisal Experience and Coverage
Ashley’s regional personal property appraisal experience spans Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. Her Midwest project coverage includes Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Sioux City, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Rochester and Sioux Falls.
Depending on project requirements, surrounding markets may include Nebraska, Wisconsin, Missouri and Illinois, with work in metropolitan areas such as Omaha, Madison, Kansas City and Chicago. These cities describe project coverage rather than separate Prestige Estate Services office locations.
Prestige Estate Services determines appraiser assignments after considering the intended use, property categories, location, timing, competency, availability, travel requirements and overall project scope.
A Professional Background Built Around Antiques
Ashley developed her eye for objects through a multigenerational family antiques enterprise with nearly six decades of history. Her responsibilities included sourcing inventory, attending markets and trade events, studying market-based pricing, merchandising, communicating with collectors and helping clients understand the distinctions among period pieces, later examples and changing collector demand.
That experience now informs her work with antique appraisals, furniture appraisals, decorative arts and substantial household contents. Familiarity alone does not replace assignment-specific research; it helps Ashley recognize the physical details, maker information, construction, condition and market context that deserve closer analysis.
Ashley has also been involved with Antiques in the Square in Clear Lake, Iowa, for more than fifteen years and has served as show director since 2023. Her work coordinating vendors, logistics and promotion keeps her connected to the regional trade while supporting a long-running community antiques event.
Appraisals for Estates, Insurance and Defined Legal or Tax Uses
Equitable Distribution and Charitable Contribution
For divorce, family settlement or other division matters, a personal property appraisal can provide a consistent valuation framework for identified assets. Ashley’s role is to develop impartial value conclusions for the stated intended use, not to decide how property should be divided.
Her assignments may also include non-cash charitable contributions when the donated property and scope align with her competency. Documentation, the appropriate effective date, the relevant market and the intended tax use shape the report.
Learn more about Prestige’s equitable distribution appraisals and charitable donation appraisals.
Musical Instruments, Memorabilia and Distinctive Collections
Early exposure to rock-and-roll memorabilia, antiques and collectibles helped spark Ashley’s interest in objects that carry both market value and cultural context. Her appraisal experience includes musical instruments, memorabilia and antique toys, as well as fine art, decorative objects, furniture, primitives and other property found within residential collections.
She has also worked with museum collections, large equipment and historically significant items. These categories are not treated as interchangeable. Maker, model, materials, date, provenance, condition, alterations, rarity and the market in which comparable property is bought and sold can affect both the research path and the final value conclusion.
When a project contains property outside one appraiser’s established competency, Prestige can evaluate whether another in-house appraiser or a coordinated team is appropriate. This competency-first approach is especially useful for estates that combine ordinary household contents with specialized or high-value categories.
Whole-Home Contents and Mixed-Category Estates
Many Midwest estate projects involve far more than a few individually valuable objects. A residence may contain antique furniture, decorative accessories, art, everyday household contents, tools, equipment, collections and family memorabilia. Ashley’s broad general-contents experience supports the organized review of these assignments without treating every object as though it belongs in the same market or requires the same depth of research.
Residential Contents
Furniture, accessories, household goods and other contents can be documented individually or in appropriate groups, according to the assignment’s scope and reporting needs.
Specialty Property
Objects requiring closer attention are separated for category-specific identification and market research rather than being lost within a general household inventory.
Coordinated Competency
If a large estate includes categories outside Ashley’s competency, Prestige can consider an in-house team approach while maintaining a coordinated project scope and report process.
How Ashley Approaches a Personal Property Appraisal
Define the Assignment
The intended use, intended users, effective date, property involved and required type of value are established before the valuation work is developed.
Identify and Document
Relevant physical attributes, maker information, materials, dimensions, condition, photographs and client-provided records are collected according to the scope.
Research the Relevant Market
Market evidence is selected for the assignment’s value premise and effective date. Comparability is analyzed rather than assumed from a similar appearance alone.
Communicate the Results
The report communicates the scope, methods, assumptions, supporting analysis and value conclusions in a format appropriate to the intended use.
Professional Education and Continuing Development
Ashley joined the International Society of Appraisers in 2023 and subsequently completed the Antiques, Furnishings & Decorative Arts specialty course supporting her Accredited Member designation. Her education combines appraisal theory, USPAP study, report development and continuing subject-matter instruction.
Core Appraisal Education
- Core Course in Appraisal Studies, 2023
- 15-Hour USPAP Course for Personal Property, 2023
- Antiques, Furnishings & Decorative Arts Specialty Course, 2024
- Four Scopes of Work and a Report!, 2025
- 7-Hour USPAP Update Course, 2024 Edition, completed November 2025
Conferences and Subject Study
- ISA Annual Conferences: Montreal, 2024; Washington, D.C., 2025; Phoenix, 2026
- Prints for the Appraiser and Grant Wood: An Important American Artist, 2024
- Harvesting History: African American Archives, 2024
- Iconic Gems: Famous Sapphires and damage-claim appraisal techniques, 2024
- Historical jewelry makers in Imperial Russia, 2025
- Silver for the Generalist Appraiser, 2025
Representative Personal Property Appraisal Uses
Executors and Fiduciaries
For estates, trusts, probate inventories and other assignments requiring organized documentation of tangible personal property.
Attorneys and Advisors
For matters in which the intended use, effective date, report scope and property categories must be clearly coordinated.
Private Clients and Collectors
For insurance planning, charitable contributions, collection documentation, damage or loss, and other clearly defined valuation objectives.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ashley’s Background and Experience
What is Ashley’s principal appraisal specialty?
Her principal specialty is antiques, furnishings and decorative arts, supported by formal ISA specialty education and longstanding practical experience in the antiques trade.
Which Midwest markets are represented in Ashley’s appraisal experience?
Her regional experience includes projects across Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota, together with selected work in surrounding Midwest markets. Prestige determines every appraiser assignment according to the complete project requirements.
What experience does Ashley have with complete household contents?
Her background includes comprehensive estate contents as well as individual specialty collections, with attention to appropriate grouping, category-specific research and the requirements of the defined assignment.
What estate tax and probate experience is reflected in Ashley’s background?
Her appraisal background includes estate tax, date-of-death and probate matters involving household contents, antiques and specialized collections.
What USPAP education has Ashley completed?
She completed the 15-Hour USPAP Course for Personal Property in 2023 and the 7-Hour USPAP Update Course, 2024 Edition, in November 2025.
Which distinctive property categories appear in Ashley’s experience?
Her experience includes musical instruments, memorabilia, antique toys, museum collections, historically significant objects and large equipment, in addition to antiques, furnishings and decorative arts.
Does Prestige appraise houses or other real estate?
No. Ashley and Prestige Estate Services appraise tangible personal property such as contents, collections, furnishings, art and equipment. The firm does not provide real estate appraisals.
Why does the intended use matter in a personal property appraisal?
The intended use affects the appropriate value definition, effective date, market research, scope of work and report format. Estate tax, insurance, charitable contribution and equitable distribution assignments may therefore require different analyses.
Discuss a Personal Property Appraisal
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Prestige Estate Services evaluates the intended use, property categories, location, timing, competency, availability, travel requirements and overall scope before determining the appropriate appraiser or appraisal team.
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