USM Haller appraisal and authentication

No hallmark settles the question: we judge the consistency of the whole unit, on six points.

• The connector ball is what gives a copy away fastest, so we look at its geometry, finish, openings and thread.
• On the tubes, we check the diameter, the wall and the plating, because copy chrome pits earlier and more unevenly.
• For the panels, we look at the steel thickness, how they sit in the frame, their edges and their lacquer.
• A colour missing from the chart for the period claimed points to a repaint or a later addition.
• Consistency is often what exposes a hybrid: balls from different makers, a panel held differently, a bay off pitch.
• Finally, signs of use (suspension files, cable runs, wear at hand height) tell you where the unit really came from, and that story is often worth more than the one it's credited with.

1. The first part describes what we observe: the material facts, without interpretation.
2. The second gives our conclusion: authentic, hybrid or not a USM at all, with the degree of certainty the evidence allows.
3. The last lists what we cannot assert, because a photograph doesn't show it or the unit would need dismantling to check. This is the part that really protects a buyer.

Where it helps, we add a valuation and a rough idea of what putting the piece right would cost.

Before buying, whether from a private seller, a platform, a flea market or at auction, send us the listing photos before you travel: most bad cases can be ruled out from the images.

Before selling, the appraisal helps you set the price and write the listing. To sell the unit to us directly, see sell.

And before any work, check what you have, because restoring or reconfiguring modules that aren't authentic won't hold. The appraisal has to come first.

It isn't a certificate of authenticity in the legal sense. We're not auctioneers or court experts; we're dealers, and what we give you is a written opinion, reasoned point by point.

Nor is it a flattering estimate. If we're interested in the piece, we tell you in the same message as the valuation.

Write to infos@lapierremarket.fr or use the contact form; we reply within twenty-four hours. Please include:

• two overall views from two angles;
• a sharp close-up of a connector ball;
• a close-up of a panel edge;
• a view of the back of the unit;
• the listing or history, if you have it.

Our criteria for the whole catalogue are in our sourcing process. For technical work, see assembly, reconfiguration or restoration.