The object passport for history collectors

For collectors of historic objects, documents, photographs, and autographs.

Gavelogue turns an auction listing into a living object passport and estimates the costs hidden beyond the hammer—buyer’s premium, tax, shipping, handling, and duties—before you decide what place the piece may have in your collection.

Built for collectors of Americana, manuscripts, photographs, signatures, and objects with a story

Original Declaration of Independence parchment · National Archives · Public domain

Live and recent source snapshots

See the likely all-in cost before the story becomes yours.

Choose an example to see its Gavelogue cost passport, then select Add to Watching. Each passport keeps the auction timing and calculates the maximum hammer under your planned all-in limit. Published premiums are combined with a clearly labeled tax scenario and an object-aware shipping and handling range—never a hidden guess presented as a quote.

Source details captured August 19, 2026. Not live monitoring. Small linked thumbnails are source previews; Gavelogue's passport imagery is original. Gavelogue is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Freeman’s, RR Auction, or Sotheby’s.

How the estimate works

Play with the past

How close can you get to the gavel?

Study five real sold auction lots, tap one of four possible results, and score points by getting close without going over. Optional estimate clues make it welcoming even if you have never read an auction catalog.

Play the free collector challenge
LOT 4Ancient bronzeHow would you value 3,000 years of history?
TAP YOUR GUESSHK$38.8MFour simple choices. No typing required.

Today's collector toolkit

Auction tabsCalculatorNotesReceiptsCertificatesSpreadsheet

Plan for the full cost. Keep the full story.

The missing middle

The paper trail should not stop at the gavel.

Gavelogue carries sources and decisions forward instead of making you rebuild the record after purchase.

01 / BEFORE

See beyond the hammer.

  • Auto-scan text on-device from a selected screenshot or camera-captured page you are permitted to retain
  • Save a source link as a reference, or start from a permitted PDF, image, or pasted listing text
  • Review best-effort suggestions against the source—or enter details manually
  • Estimate premium, tax, shipping, handling, duties, and fees from the source, object type, origin, and destination
  • Organize condition and provenance questions
  • Calculate the maximum hammer under the assumptions you enter

02 / AFTER

Carry the story forward.

  • Preserve permitted source material and the acquisition decision
  • Add invoice, certificate, and arrival condition
  • Build a dated, source-linked provenance timeline and preserve the paper trail
  • Record location, conservation, and insurance documentation
  • Export a shareable PDF or spreadsheet record

See beyond the hammer

Bring history home with the full cost in view.

Imported listings begin with Gavelogue's documented cost assumptions. You can then adjust the destination or any known fact and see how the estimated all-in range changes; the collecting decision remains yours.

Every assumption stays visible as published, estimated, or unknown. A final auction-house or carrier quote always replaces the estimate when available.

Calculated hammer limit

$1,055.55
Hammer $1,055.55Premium $263.89Tax $105.56Shipping / fixed $75.00Projected all-in $1,500.00

Informational estimate for educational and recreational collecting only—not financial or investment advice, an appraisal, or a recommendation to bid or buy. Results depend on the figures you enter and may be incomplete. Verify the auction's terms and consult qualified professionals before acting.

Built around the paper trail

Your judgment stays in charge.

01

Source-linked

Every suggested field keeps a visible connection to the listing, file, or document it came from.

02

User-confirmed

Nothing becomes part of your record until you review it. Your own facts are never silently overwritten.

03

Your choice of workspace

Keep records locally in the iPhone app, or sign in on the web to create a private desktop collection. Web records are separated by account.

04

Plain about limits

Gavelogue provides information and recordkeeping—not financial or investment advice, an appraisal, authentication, or a recommendation to bid or buy.

Founding collector cohort

Collect with care. Carry the story forward.

The desktop companion is now available for collectors who prefer a full keyboard and larger screen. Create records on the web; use the iPhone app when camera and screenshot scanning matter most.

Open your collection Desktop launch edition: free. A ChatGPT account is used for secure sign-in.

Questions worth asking

Before you trust another collector app.

What does “object passport” mean?

It is a living, owner-maintained record that travels with the antiquity: its sources, acquisition, condition, documents, provenance, and later history. It is not government-issued or proof of authenticity or title.

Does Gavelogue bid for me?

No. It is independent decision support and recordkeeping. Bidding and payment remain with the seller or auction house.

Does it work with my auction house?

Gavelogue is designed around the terms and listing language collectors encounter at houses such as Freeman's, RR Auction, and Sotheby's, with a general fallback for other sources. Bring in permitted listing material and Gavelogue opens a reviewable draft; extraction varies, manual correction is always available, and named references do not mean affiliation or endorsement. Gavelogue does not log in to, fetch from, scrape, or monitor those sites.

How does Gavelogue estimate shipping?

It uses the object category, dimensions and weight when available, value and insurance needs, sale location, destination, packing requirements, and any published house or carrier information. The result is a range with its basis shown—not a guaranteed quote. Once the auction house or carrier supplies a quote, that amount should replace the estimate.

Does Gavelogue convert currencies?

No. One selected currency applies to every amount in a record. Convert listing prices, your plan, fees, invoices, and owner-recorded values independently before combining them.

Does it authenticate or value objects?

No. It helps you organize source-linked claims, questions, expert records, and owner-entered values without pretending to replace a qualified professional.

Is this financial or investment advice?

No. Gavelogue is for general informational, educational, recordkeeping, and recreational collecting purposes. Its calculations and checklists are not recommendations to bid, buy, sell, hold, insure, or value an object. Verify material facts and consult qualified professionals before acting.

Where is my collection stored?

The iPhone app stores its records locally. If you choose the desktop companion, the records you create there are stored in Gavelogue's hosted database under your signed-in account. The two collections do not automatically synchronize yet.

Can I use Gavelogue without an iPhone?

Yes. Sign in to the desktop companion to create, edit, organize, and delete object passports in your browser. Camera and screenshot scanning remain iPhone features for now.

Can I leave if I change my mind?

Yes. Export and backup are trust features, not hostage features. The app produces portable PDF, CSV, and local backup files.