COA's, good or bad, do you really need one at all?
How good is the COA you were provided, and does it have any actual value?
As a full-time signature dealer and authenticator, I receive daily inquiries regarding the validity of items purchased both online and offline. They may be a collector, a dealer, or have just purchased an item as a gift for a birthday or Christmas, but now that they have the item, something tells them that it may not be as authentic as they were led to believe.
The item came with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) on fancy paper with a lovely hologram, indicating to the buyer that the item must be real, so why are they calling me?
COAs are supplied in various forms by all respectable signature dealers; nonetheless, a COA does not "prove" authenticity. A certificate of authenticity is only as good as the dealer who issued it, and at best, it merely serves to prove where you purchased it. Check that yours has the seller's full contact information (rather than just an email address or eBay ID); otherwise, where do you go if you discover it is not genuine? A COA without complete contact information is simply a waste of paper.
If the COA recommends membership in any association, double-check that they are members, as unscrupulous sellers will try anything to make a sale. In some circumstances, you may discover that the association stated does not even exist!
Sellers will occasionally claim that their COA proves that the signed item is real, or that the attached hologram indicates the signature is authentic; nevertheless, a signature is either authentic or not, and no amount of holograms, fancy paper, or fancy language can prove otherwise. Holograms are only used to conveniently connect the signed item with the COA. This allows the seller to track things and prevent fraudulent swapping by the buyer because the holograms are numbered and designed not to be removed once applied. Holograms can also be acquired on eBay, therefore they don't prove much!
A COA is supplied as a guarantee to you so that if the item is not as advertised, you can receive a complete refund, so keep your COAs properly kept away, do not lose them! Most good dealers will also be a Registered Dealer (rather than merely a member) of the UACC, AFTAL, or PADA, and these are the three associations you should consider when purchasing from an autograph dealer. Each of these groups has a code of ethics, and each dealer is required to follow it, so if you purchase something from them that is not as advertised, you will be entitled to a refund. Can the same be stated for a dealer without an association affiliation? And therefore should they be trusted?
Some dishonest sellers are no longer issuing COAs. Their justification is that anyone can make a COA on a home printer, and a COA confirms nothing. You can certainly make them at home, and most dealers would anyway, but the claim that it proves nothing is completely false, as it proves that they sold it, which is exactly why they don't want to issue them, because selling a fake signed item is a criminal offence under the Fraud Act 2006, punishable by imprisonment.
Furthermore, due to recent amendments under the Fraud Act, a COA can now be deemed a separate charge, as section 7 deals with making or supplying things for use in fraud, implying that the COA was manufactured and used to help convince you that the item is legitimate. So, by not issuing a COA, a forger could avoid having that charge brought against them, potentially saving him a few months in jail.
Finally, look out for products offered with a certificate of authenticity from another merchant. If it's a known genuine dealer, you should be fine, but some sellers offer a COA from a different company and tell you that the COA guarantees the item to be authentic and a full refund if it turns out to be a fake, but that only applies to the original buyer, not you, so the COA is effectively worthless, especially if the COA is from a non-existent company or lacks complete contact information.
So, can you rely on a COA for complete confirmation of authenticity? In short, the answer is no; it is only there to prove where you purchased the item and to ensure that if the item is not as advertised by that seller, you will be able to receive a complete refund. So you need to be assured of the seller, not the COA, so ask these questions......
Which associations do they belong to (if any?).
Are they known in the autograph world?
Do they provide their full company address on the website or on eBay?
How long have they been dealing with autographs and can they prove it?
If your item comes from a reputable and well-known vendor, you have little to be concerned about; nevertheless, if any of the above conditions are not met, reconsider!
Until the next time, happy collecting.
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