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Good intentions do not always turn into good results. For example, an extensive art collection of original watercolors left to Heidi and Stephanie Burmeister by their late mother has not been the gold mine she envisioned. Instead, it has been a bit of a stone around the neck of the women.

The two are the owners of hundreds of paintings, crayon etchings, signed prints and greeting cards by three von Trapp sisters of "The Sound of Music" fame. Johanna, Agathe and Maria von Trapp were close personal friends of the Burmeisters’ mother, Helene, owner of a gallery that marketed and sold work done by the sisters. She left the collection to her own daughters upon her death.

According to Heidi, after giving members of the von Trapp family right of first refusal, they considered creating a website when the venture became overwhelming. She and her sister live on opposite sides of the state, have full-time careers and care for their elderly father.

“We realized that it would take a great deal of money and time to get it off the ground with no guarantee of any return,” she said. The pair has turned to occasionally selling pieces on eBay and at garage sales.

The difficulties they have encountered are not unusual. The story of Johanna, Maria and Agathe von Trapp and their special artwork is a reminder that behind the lilting words of a song, the graceful strokes of a painting, there is always more to the story. There is more to the picture than meets the eye.

According to David Lynx, valuing an art collection is challenging, and sometimes even impossible. Lynx is executive director of Kirkland Arts Center, past director of Yakima’s Larson Gallery and teaches online classes for ���ϸ����� College.

“I would constantly get calls about appraising work, but it is a special skill that you can only get from an appraiser. Many appraisers only work in one area, such as Asian art,” Lynx said. He explained that pricing a piece of art and what someone will actually pay for it can be vastly different. Lynx also said that he had difficulty finding an appraiser in the Yakima region, something that appears to still be true.

Lynx is a member of the American Alliance of Museums and said its website —  — can be helpful to art owners or buyers. He has also used for information but said he does not know enough about it to promote it as a source for accurate appraisals.

“My advice, if you have some pieces that you think might be worth something, go to the appraisers listed by the American Alliance of Museums,” Lynx said. “You can also contact an auction company like Sothebys or hope you can get on 'Antiques Road Show.' ”