Independent art insurance brokers · agreed value · worldwide coverage

Fine art. Jewelry. Collections. Insured right.

Mass-market homeowners policies cap fine art at $2,500 and jewelry at $1,500. We place specialist coverage through Markel, Chubb, AIG Private Client, PURE, and ten other top-rated independent markets — agreed value, worldwide transit, no sub-limits on what matters most.

AgreedValue — no depreciation at claim
12+Specialist art markets we shop
$0Deductible options available
WorldwideCoverage — home, storage, transit
Specialist markets we shop on your behalf

We're independent — not captive to any single carrier. We shop a curated bench of top-rated specialist art and collections insurers, matching your collection to the carrier with the deepest appetite for it.

Carrier names indicate markets we access; availability varies by collection type, value, state, and underwriting. Not all carriers write every risk.

What specialist coverage does

Everything your homeowners policy quietly excludes.

Standard homeowners policies cap fine art at $2,500 and jewelry at $1,500 — then exclude mysterious disappearance, breakage, and transit. Specialist collections coverage eliminates all of that.

Fine Art

Paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photography, and mixed media — scheduled or blanket at agreed value, no depreciation.

Jewelry & Watches

Scheduled jewelry, watches, gems, and precious metals — agreed value, worldwide, including mysterious disappearance.

Wine & Spirits

Wine cellars, rare spirits, and curated collections — scheduled or blanket, including temperature failure and breakage.

Stamps, Coins & Collectibles

Philatelic, numismatic, and sports memorabilia collections — agreed value, mysterious disappearance, worldwide.

Why it matters who you use

A captive agent gives you one carrier. A broker gives you the market.

Farmers, State Farm, AAA, and other captive carriers only offer their own form — often a scheduled rider to your homeowners policy with per-item sub-limits, exclusions, and actual cash value at loss. Specialist insurers write stand-alone agreed-value policies built for collections. We access both worlds — then recommend the better fit.

Captive agent / standard homeowners rider

Fast, but limited

  • Actual cash value — depreciation erodes your payout.
  • Per-item sub-limits often far below market value.
  • Mysterious disappearance, breakage, and transit often excluded.
  • One form, one carrier — if you don't fit, you're declined.
BestArt — independent specialist brokers

The right market for your collection

  • Agreed value — you receive what the policy says, period.
  • No sub-limits: we schedule each item at its appraised value.
  • Mysterious disappearance, breakage, and worldwide transit included.
  • We shop 12+ specialist markets to find the best appetite and terms.
What specialist policies include

Coverage homeowners policies can't match.

Specialist art and collections policies from carriers like Markel, Chubb, and AIG Private Client are built for collectors — not retrofitted from a homeowners form. These features are standard in specialist programs, not riders you pay extra for.

Agreed value

No depreciation. Loss paid at the scheduled value — not ACV, not replacement cost less wear-and-tear.

Worldwide coverage

At home, in storage, at auction, at a gallery loan, or in transit — covered anywhere on the planet.

New acquisitions

AUTO

New pieces added to your collection are automatically covered for up to 90 days — no call required.

Breakage

Fragile items — ceramics, glass, sculpture — covered for accidental breakage. Excluded on most homeowners.

Mysterious disappearance

Items that go missing without a traceable cause — covered. Standard homeowners almost never include this.

Restoration cost

Partial loss includes cost of professional restoration to museum quality — not generic repair estimates.

Don't wait for a claim to discover your homeowners policy has a $2,500 art sub-limit.

Homeowners policies typically cap unscheduled fine art at $2,500 and jewelry at $1,500 — per occurrence, not per item. A specialist stand-alone policy through carriers like Markel or Chubb schedules each piece at its appraised value with no sub-limits and no depreciation. A five-minute application is all it takes to start.

Markel Personal Collections Application

Your pricing indication & signed application, step by step.

See a pricing indication for your collection in under two minutes, then complete and sign the official Markel Personal Collections Application right here — no printing, no PDFs to email. A licensed broker shops the full market and turns your application into bindable options, often the same day.

Welcome back. We saved your answers — pick up where you left off?
  1. 1Indication
  2. 2Your info
  3. 3Collections
  4. 4Location
  5. 5Review & sign
Step 1 of 5 · ~4 min left

Get your pricing indication

Select your collection types and enter estimated values to see a specialist market pricing indication. This indication is based on typical rates — a licensed broker confirms final terms.

Collection types — check all that apply
Estimated values by class
$ ?Select your collection types, enter estimated values, and tap see my pricing indication — the result is a specialist market indication based on typical rates, not a final quote.

Your information

Basic applicant details for the Markel Personal Collections Application. Fields marked * are required.

Applicant — Section 1 of Markel MAIM 1000 09 21
Enter your full name.
Enter your address.
Enter your city.
Enter your state.
Enter your ZIP code.
Enter a phone number.
Enter a valid email address.
Policy details
That's fine — please add a brief explanation in the notes field below and we'll address it with the underwriter.

Collection limits & inventory

Markel insures 13 collection classes separately — enter the limit you want for each class you hold. Then answer the inventory questions below.

Limits of Insurance — Markel MAIM 1000 09 21, Page 1

Enter the coverage limit (total insured value) for each class. Leave blank if you don't hold that class. All limits are per-occurrence agreed value.

Inventory Questions — Markel MAIM 1000 09 21, Page 1–2
No problem — describe the loss briefly in the notes field on step 2. Most prior losses are still coverable; this just helps us match you to the right carrier.

Location & security

Underwriters need to know where your items are stored and what protections are in place. This helps match your risk to the right carrier and may improve your rate.

Primary Location — Markel MAIM 1000 09 21, Page 2
Fire protection
Security & theft protection
Loss history — Markel MAIM 1000 09 21, Page 3
Prior losses don't disqualify you — provide details below and we'll shop the right carrier for your history.

Review & sign your application

This is your completed Markel Personal Collections Application, filled in with your answers. Scroll through every page, adopt your signature, and submit — we'll start shopping the market right away.

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Adopt your signature

Type your name and choose a style, or draw it freehand. We'll place it on the application's signature line.

Enter your full name.
Enter your title.

Choose a signature style:

Signature placed on form

By adopting, you confirm this is the electronic representation of your signature for this application. Your signature appears live on page 4 of the form above as you adopt it.

Bank-level encryption Signed copy emailed instantly Shopped across specialist art markets

Application signed & sent.

Your completed, signed Markel Personal Collections Application is on its way to us — and a copy is in your inbox. We'll shop the specialist art market and bring back bindable options, often the same business day.