Private clients / The Private Desk
Your vision.
Our eye for the exceptional.
The art of making it happen
A dream deserves a considered plan.
The right object can begin as a clear reference, a lifelong ambition or a feeling that is difficult to put into words. The Society brings a collector’s eye and a seller’s understanding to the conversation: what to look for, what to ask, how to present it and where to go next.
These are paid services, commissioned around your needs. Choose Advisory at $200 per hour or Concierge at $350 per hour, with 1, 3, 5, 10 or 20 hours prepaid. We confirm scope, availability and timing before payment and work begins.
Two tiers / Five commitments
Choose the depth of your engagement.
Prepaid hours for an agreed brief. Payment covers professional time and expertise; locating an object, making a definitive identification, completing a transaction or achieving a particular price is not guaranteed.
Advisory
$200 / hour
Consultation, research, written guidance, collection review, seller presentation and teaching within an agreed brief.
- 1 hour$200 upfrontChoose hours at checkout →
- 3 hours$600 upfrontChoose hours at checkout →
- 5 hours$1,000 upfrontChoose hours at checkout →
- 10 hours$2,000 upfrontChoose hours at checkout →
- 20 hours$4,000 upfrontPay for 20 hours →
Concierge
$350 / hour
Active sourcing, seller contact, coordination and negotiation support within your expressly agreed authority.
- 1 hour$350 upfrontChoose hours at checkout →
- 3 hours$1,050 upfrontChoose hours at checkout →
- 5 hours$1,750 upfrontChoose hours at checkout →
- 10 hours$3,500 upfrontChoose hours at checkout →
- 20 hours$7,000 upfrontPay for 20 hours →
For 1–10 hours, select your intended hour package again in the secure GoDaddy checkout and verify its total. The 20-hour link has a fixed amount. Confirm your scope and availability with the Society before paying. Packages are one-time commitments and do not renew automatically. Purchases, third-party fees and expenses are separate.
Read how prepaid hours work →01 / A focused private session
The Collector’s Consultation
For the pair you are considering, the collecting direction you want to refine, or the object you cannot stop thinking about. Bring your photographs, links and questions.
Your commission
A remote consultation around an agreed brief, followed by a concise written summary of observations, open questions and next steps.
Advisory hours, prepaid at $200/hour.
Request a proposal →02 / Research before the decision
The Acquisition Brief
A closer reading of a prospective acquisition: identifying details, condition disclosures, relevant comparisons and the questions worth taking back to the seller.
Your commission
A written research brief referencing the supplied material and identified sources, with distinctions between confirmed information and matters requiring examination.
Advisory hours, prepaid at $200/hour; scope agreed per brief.
Request a proposal →03 / An exacting brief. A purposeful search.
The Private Search
For the elusive vintage frame, a distinctive gift or an exceptional object that ordinary browsing has failed to uncover. Begin with an image, a description or a precise reference.
Your commission
An agreed search brief, candidate introductions when available, and a documented comparison against your priorities. Purchasing decisions remain yours.
Concierge hours, prepaid at $350/hour. No completion fee is added without a separate agreement.
Request a proposal →04 / Give a remarkable object a persuasive presentation
The Seller’s Studio
For collectors and independent dealers who have the goods and need the presentation: the title that identifies, the description that explains, and the photographs that answer a buyer’s questions.
Your commission
An agreed set of listing titles, descriptions, condition wording and a photography shot list, prepared from your records. Factual gaps are identified for your confirmation.
Advisory hours, prepaid at $200/hour; listing count and revision scope agreed in advance.
Request a proposal →05 / Bring order, context and direction
The Collection Review
For a personal archive or growing collection that needs a clearer record. Review what is documented, where the gaps are and how the collection might develop.
Your commission
A remote review of an agreed inventory, a documentation checklist and a written collecting or presentation plan.
Advisory hours, prepaid at $200/hour; scope reflects the collection and available records.
Request a proposal →06 / Eyewear and objects that tell a story
The Creative Brief
For stylists, costume teams, photographers, designers and creative directors seeking a particular period, character or visual language—from Gilded Age references to contemporary collecting.
Your commission
A research-led visual direction and sourcing shortlist within an agreed brief. Candidate availability, permissions and any hire or purchase costs are confirmed separately.
Advisory for research at $200/hour; Concierge for active sourcing at $350/hour. Purchases and rentals are separate.
Request a proposal →07 / A stronger eye. A stronger sales conversation.
The Society Sessions
Private teaching for collectors, retail teams and independent sellers: reading construction, asking better condition questions, describing originality and presenting an object with conviction.
Your commission
A tailored remote session with an agreed topic, reference material and a practical takeaway guide.
Advisory hours at $200/hour, including agreed preparation and session time.
Request a proposal →08 / A continuing collecting relationship
The Private Desk
For clients who want an ongoing point of contact for acquisition questions, collecting direction and occasional searches. Keep a considered brief as your interests evolve.
Your commission
An ongoing brief specifying consultation time, research allowance, communication arrangements and any separate search projects.
Prepaid Advisory or Concierge hours for an agreed ongoing brief. Further commitments require your approval; no automatic renewal.
Request a proposal →Begin with a brief.
Share your objective, photographs or reference links, timeline and preferred budget. We establish whether the proposed work is a suitable fit.
Agree the work.
Your proposal sets out the deliverables, fee, schedule and any outside costs. An initial enquiry does not book a service or incur a charge.
Make the next move.
Receive the agreed advice, research or presentation and decide how to proceed. Any acquisition, selling arrangement or further work requires a separate agreement.
Prepaid service terms
Your time. Clearly accounted for.
Scope and prepayment
Confirm your brief, tier, availability and schedule with the Society before paying. All prices are in USD. Advisory is $200 per hour; Concierge is $350 per hour. Your selected hours are paid in advance. A package is a one-time engagement, with no automatic renewal.
How time is used
Agreed consultation, research, preparation, sourcing, correspondence and follow-up count toward your hours. Time is recorded in minutes and a usage summary is provided. Work stops at your prepaid limit unless you authorize and pay for more time. Changing tiers requires agreement; hours are not silently repriced.
Cancellation and unused time
You may stop an engagement by emailing hello@theraregoodsociety.com. Unused prepaid time is refundable at your package’s hourly rate; time already worked remains payable. Separately approved, nonrecoverable outside costs remain payable. There is no automatic forfeiture of unused hours. Contact us to arrange the refund through the original payment method.
Your authority and outside costs
Object purchases, travel, shipping, specialist examinations and other third-party costs are separate and require prior agreement. A Concierge engagement does not authorize the Society to buy, bid, make binding commitments or incur expenses on your behalf without express written instructions.
Professional effort, without an outcome guarantee
Fees purchase time and expertise. We do not guarantee that an object will be located, identified conclusively from supplied material, acquired, sold or valued at a particular amount. An unsuccessful search does not make time actually worked refundable. These terms do not exclude any rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Questions or a problem with the work? Contact hello@theraregoodsociety.com so we can review the agreed brief and time record with you.
Judgment grounded in the available evidence.
Remote advice reflects the photographs, records and sources available. A research brief is not a physical authentication certificate or a formal insurance, tax or estate appraisal. When examination or a qualified appraisal is needed, that requirement is made clear.
If the Society owns an object being considered, represents its seller or would receive a transaction fee, that interest will be disclosed before a recommendation. A search, asking-price discussion or presentation project does not guarantee availability, a sale or a particular result.
Explore the Field Notes and our approach →Let’s make it happen
Tell us what exceptional looks like to you.
A single question, an exacting acquisition or a longer collecting relationship. Start the conversation.
Enquire with the Private Desk →