About Winter Associates
For over forty years, Winter Associates has provided personal property appraisal and estate liquidation services. We are one of New England’s most highly respected auction firms. We have earned a reputation for honesty and integrity.
Maximizing Returns
We have liquidated personal property for a variety of clients including law firms, museums, trust departments and other professionals. We also assist individuals who are downsizing or settling estates. We are available whether it is one item or an entire household. Winter Associates understands that the undertaking of selling one’s possessions can be both overwhelming and disconcerting. Our staff knows that the success of a project is not just its financial return, but the comfort level a client feels while we work with the objects they have enjoyed for many years in their home. It is important to provide a willing ear and well-informed responses when clients are asking for advice on what to sell and what to keep, as well as how to maximize their return.
"I’ll gladly recommend your services "
B.S. / Consignor
Thank you very much for your letter … and the enclosed check. My daughter and I appreciate greatly the probity, efficiency and personal attention with you and your staff … handled our consignment. I’ll gladly recommend your services to others. Wish you much success.
Turnkey Operation
Winter Associates, Inc.’s services can encompass a “turnkey” operation. In such instances we will remove and market all saleable items, and also organize removal of all goods to be donated, dispose of any refuse and leave the home “broom clean”.
Reputation for Honesty and Accuracy
Our firm prides itself on properly examining and cataloging items for sale. We have a well-earned reputation in the industry for honesty and accuracy. It is important for both a seller and purchaser to know that items have been correctly described. We have the expertise to recognize items of importance and to promote them properly.
These are just a few of the reasons we have developed a strong client base of both sellers and buyers. Winter Associates, Inc. is proud of the reputation it has developed as a successful and well managed personal property appraisal firm and auction gallery.
"Grateful for your advice"
Vice President & PCS Senior Trust Advisor TD Wealth
‘Good Afternoon … We are very much in your debt for handling so capably this massive undertaking. We are grateful for your advice and timely resolution of the many … items.
Linda Stamm Curriculum Vitae
Linda Stamm is sole owner of Winter Associates, Inc., and was one of the firm’s founding members in 1979. She oversees the management of the firm while also acting as auctioneer and appraiser. The firm specializes in estate liquidation selling approximately 25,000 items per year.
She is a member of the Appraisers Association of America and has successfully completed the National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course and exam.
Education and Experience
Linda Stamm is a graduate of Smith College with an A. B. in American Studies. Her museum experience includes an internship in the American Art Department at Yale University Art Gallery and a year-long Decorative Arts seminar at Historic Deerfield.
Treasure Hunt
Linda Stamm was pleased to serve as the appraiser during several seasons of Connecticut Public Broadcasting’s series Treasure Hunt, in which she searched local homes to “unearth” interesting and valuable items.
'Thank you for everything'
P.T. / Consignor
Just wanted to quickly send a note to say thank you for everything – I watched much of tonight’s auction and I have to say it was far more interesting than I anticipated. Kudos to you, not only for keeping everything going but also for how well you managed the whole process! There are far more moving pieces than I would have thought, it was far more interesting than some of the shows on TV! I’m also fascinated by the variety of the catalog that you all put together […] Will you please pass out thanks along to everyone involved? We appreciated all the work you have done.
Presentations
Stamm has made presentations to the Greater Hartford Probate Forum, the Western Connecticut Estate and Tax Planning Council and the Central Connecticut Paralegal Association examining what constitutes a qualified appraiser and what should properly appear in an appraisal. She has also presented lectures on antiques and the antiques market for Old Sturbridge Village’s Antiques Collectors Weekend and to numerous Historical Societies, retirement communities and clubs in the Greater Hartford area.
Linda Stamm gives talk to local civic, professional, and charitable organizations about the antiques, auction, and appraisal business. She provides topical information about current market trends, how to evaluate family heirlooms, and how to maximize financial returns when selling estate and personal property items.
Linda Stamm, Auctioneer and Appraiser
Board Appointments, etc.
Stamm served for many years on the board of directors for the Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield, New Hampshire; and was also on their Collections Committee. She also served for many years on the board of directors for the New Britain Youth Museum, New Britain, Connecticut. She has served as program chair for the Decorative Arts study group at the Hillstead Museum.
Stamm has provided her skills as an auctioneer at fund raisers for The New Britain Museum of American Art, Hill-Stead Museum, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, The American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association, and many other area organizations.
She is a member of the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hill-Stead Museum, The Connecticut Historical Society, New Britain Museum of American Art, Florence Griswold Museum, Mattatuck Museum, Connecticut Landmarks, Historic Deerfield, Mark Twain House & Museum, Connecticut Business & Industry Association, Farmington Historical Society and a Friend of Wesleyan’s Davidson Art Center.
Testimonials
P.T. / Consignor
“I cannot recommend Linda/Winter Associates highly enough. Linda and her team have been so responsive and helpful as we’ve been navigating this and they have been very detailed in the information they provided us throughout. […]
I did walk through yesterday … and I’m gobsmacked at how well it all went and very appreciative that Linda and her team made this seamless and easy.”
L.S. / Appraisal Client
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and thorough appraisal. I really appreciate the work and research that went into this and our attorney was also quite pleased.
C.M. / Consignor
I received my check today and just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how pleased we are with how everything went with the sale of my aunt’s items. You and your staff did a wonderful job, and we are most grateful. I watched the auction online and I am still amazed.
H.K.(Attorney)
Thank you very much for the way you handled the consignment of the items I gave you. I appreciated your appraisals, your candor and your services. I would certainly use you in the future and have no hesitation in recommending you to others.
J.S. / Consignor
Thank you so much for sending the generous check.
Over time, I look forward to submitting a few more antique items for your approval.
Perhaps it goes without saying that it was delightful to meet you and to be able to conduct business so close to home.
L.S. / Consignor
At the end of last week, I finally remembered to look at the January 21st auction results, and I was very pleased and impressed! You clearly do attract buyers of Asian things. I’m so very glad that there were people who value the Chinese wedding robe as much as my mother did. I’d be interested to know if it was an online buyer, or someone who attended the auction in person.
… In the meantime, please know how much I appreciate that so many items found interested buyers. Thank you!
H.K. / Attorney
I have reviewed your inventory and each of the appraisals you provided. I think you did a really nice job, and have provided us with exactly what we need. We’ll attend to payment of your invoice promptly next week. Many thanks for your thoughtful work.
B.B. / Consignor
‘Greetings from Park City – I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and to thank you for the recent check from the auctioned items, plus all the other work you’ve done for my family over the last decade. Your professionalism, knowledge, honesty and skill have been greatly appreciated, along with all the work you and your employees do to make it all happen. Though I cannot speak for you, it also seems that you and your employees enjoy what you do and have interesting, sometimes fascinating and always different jobs with variety. I really admire people who go out and find work that appeals to them. I’ve done a little of that, and hope to do much more. Take care, and thanks again for everything.’
P.T. / Consignor
First and foremost, thank you so very much for the care, kindness, patience, and professionalism you provided my sister […]. She returned to Florida a content individual, satisfied and thankful for all your services.
Secondly, please give me some times/dates when you could visit me again […] to determine if there are any items/articles, etc. that you would like to present at auction. I will gather items together that we discussed earlier, making for a brief visit.
S.B. / Consignor
We just wanted to write to say thank you for our wonderful first time experience with an auction. You made the whole process easy and informative. Being able to watch the auction live was very interesting. The payout summary was clear and concise.
Possibly in the future we will have a few items that we would like to auction. Also, we will pass along your name to our friends should they like to do as we did…
With appreciation, J. and A. B.
Thanks very much for visiting us today. You provided us with invaluable information for our next steps in transitioning to Seabury. It’s a relief to learn that help is out there. You should know [we]I are convinced that you are the one to look to for a variety of solutions for the big move. I’m certain you will be hearing more from us in the near future.
K.K. / Buyer
On a quest for a couple of final touches for our new home, I discovered Winter Associates for the first time last month. Having been in the auction business in NYC and the Berkshires many years ago, I was excited to venture back into the inimitable world of dealers, collectors, interior decorators and other folk of all kinds united in their interest in buying and/or selling property with a past. When I arrived for the Monday viewing before the sale, I was delighted to find abundant parking in front of the Winter building and a warm gallery just inside full of an eclectic array of furniture, decorative objects, art and other collectables arranged in appealing, booth-like settings--something for almost any taste and category, spanning four centuries and from around the globe. The staff was welcoming, knowledgeable and helpful answering my questions. The catalogue descriptions and estimates seemed accurate and fair. … I decided to leave an absentee bid on it, so I wouldn't get carried away during the live bidding:) I did stay for the beginning of the evening auction and found Linda Stamm to be a lively, engaging, expert auctioneer who moved at just the right pace supported by an efficient and cheerful team of runners and clerks. … Bright and early the next morning I got email notification … about my success and I went the next day to collect my purchase--a swift and easy process. Very satisfying and trust-inducing. I look forward to returning frequently to Winter Associates, as a buyer and perhaps a seller, and I highly recommend them to you.
C.K. / Buyer
Thank you, all, very much for your kind consideration, professionalism and lightening quick response and resolution regarding [my purchase]. Your wonderful reply has overwhelmed me and got me out of hot water with my, usually, very shy and quiet husband. Even my son, … who helped me bring the rug home, was tremendously impressed! You are, continue to be, and will always and forever, be [our] family’s favorite auction firm! Kindly express my tremendous gratitude to Linda, on my behalf.
K.P. / Executor regarding estate appraisal
Thanks for the thorough and accurate appraisal we received today, I know it was huge, and I am so grateful you were able to squeeze us in with all of the work you have to do. I loved that you figured out what were the good things and what things simply looked good, but weren’t of so much value. I have had to use appraisers in Florida and Bermuda, and you did the best by far. I am happy to give recommendations if you ever need them, and how I wish I had sent you to Florida.
S.H. / Appraisal Client
Thank you so much for such a professional appraisal. I was utterly amazed by what a fine job you had done, you really pulled together the comparable items. I have sent the IRS form … to the New Britain Museum of American Art.
J.B. / Appraisal Customer
Thanks for your prompt attention and appraisal! I enjoyed meeting Linda and hope to see her again when I have a few other “insurables” gathered for her inspection.