Customer Success Story: The Case of the Haring Fun Book

Customer Success Story:
The Case of the ‘Haring’ Fun Book
The Situation
Enservio Select was recently asked to provide a replacement
value for a Keith Haring book, titled “Fun Book”. Haring was
an American artist and social activist whose work responded
to the New York City street culture of the 1980s by expressing
concepts of birth, death, sexuality, and war.
Cracking the Case
The Challenge:
Keith Haring Fun Book with insured
stated value of $25,000
The Solution:
Enservio SelectTM
The Results:
• 2 editions available
• Photos showed additional drawing
• Retail replacement value
$5,000
About Enservio:
Enservio software and services help you solve one of the
biggest issues in property insurance - knowing what’s inside
an insured’s home or business. This visibility helps you
right-price your policies upfront, settle claims quickly and
accurately, manage replacements to keep customers happy,
as well as run your business more efficiently. Founded in
2004, we are headquartered in Needham, MA, with offices
and professional staff across the U.S.
Enservio
117 Kendrick Street, Suite 250
Needham, MA 02494
888.567.7557
[email protected] | www.enservio.com
The initial request for valuation of Keith Haring’s “Fun Book”
did not include documentation, photographs, or the year of
publication of the book. The only documentation the insured
submitted was a link to an eBay listing with a “buy it now”
price of $25,000.00. We discovered that the eBay sale was
for an original “Fun Book” colored marker drawing book
from 1987, signed by Haring and included a certificate of
authenticity. The book that was claimed by the policyholder
is known as the “Fun Book” coloring book, which was found
readily available in the retail market in excellent condition at
a major retailer in Connecticut for $1,500.00.
After presenting our findings, we were then forwarded
photographs from the policyholder showing the “Fun Book”
as well as an additional drawing on the back of the book.
This included Keith Haring’s face on an animal body with
a question mark inside of a thought bubble, as well as his
original signature.
The Result
Enservio’s experts researched the market for like, kind, and
quality items which included original illustrations and printed
materials with added illustration and an original signature.
With consideration to all factors which affect value and
the value of the “Fun Book” we determined the retail
replacement price for the claimed book to be $5000. Though
this was still quite distant from the policyholder’s original
$25,000 claim, having the added information brought the
value from $1,500 to $5,000 – a considerable variance. The
moral of this case?
With detailed research and proper documentation Enservio’s
experts were able to ensure there was no coloring outside of
the lines with regards to the claimed book.
Enservio is a registered trademark and Enservio Select is a trademark of Enservio, Inc.
All other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective holders.