What is a Certificate of Authenticity, and how to make one
By Marques Hardin, artist manager · Paris & Rome
Published 10 June 2026 · 5 min read
A Certificate of Authenticity is the document that ties an artwork to its artist, its history, and its current owner. For editioned work (photographs, prints, sculpture in bronze) it is also the document that makes the edition real. Here's what one actually contains, why it matters, and how to issue one that holds up.
What a real COA contains
A defensible Certificate of Authenticity has eight elements. The first four identify the artist and the work: name, title, year created, medium and dimensions. The next two locate it in the artist's body of work: a unique certificate number that matches your internal records, and edition information where relevant (e.g. "12 of 50, plus 5 artist proofs"). The final two locate it in the world: the buyer's name and the date of sale, and your signature in your own hand.
Add to that a small image of the work (a thumbnail is enough), brief notes on materials and condition, and a short statement of provenance. The whole document fits on a single A4 sheet. It does not need to be ornate. It needs to be consistent and signed.
Why it matters more than artists think
For primary sales, the COA seems like a formality. For everything that happens to the work afterward, it is the most important piece of paper that exists.
Insurance. Insurers covering art rely on the COA as proof of value and provenance. Without one, claims are routinely denied or settled at a fraction of the disputed value.
Resale. Secondary-market buyers, auction houses, and dealers will discount a work without proper documentation by 30–50%: sometimes refuse it entirely. A work that cannot prove its identity cannot prove its value.
Estate and inheritance. When a collector dies, their estate has to document every artwork's identity and origin for tax purposes. Works without COAs create real problems for families and beneficiaries: problems the buyer's lawyer will eventually trace back to you.
Customs and cross-border sales. The COA is the document customs officials look for when valuing artwork crossing borders. A clear COA is the difference between a smooth import and a 10-day hold.
What makes a COA legally useful
Three things separate a defensible COA from a decorative one. First, consistency: every certificate you have ever issued follows the same format and the same numbering sequence, so any one of them can be cross-checked against your records. Second, the artist's signature in pen, not a printed reproduction; an unsigned COA is worth roughly nothing. Third, a unique number that you can trace back to a specific work and a specific sale, ideally with a digital record stored somewhere permanent.
What does not matter: ornate borders, watermarks, holograms, blockchain tokens, embossed seals. These are theatre. The market cares about consistency, signature, and a verifiable record.
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Frequently asked questions
A Certificate of Authenticity (COA) is a signed document issued by the artist that verifies a specific artwork as genuine, identifies the work uniquely, and records the buyer's ownership. For editioned or photographic work, it also documents the edition size, print method, paper, and the print's position in the edition. A real COA is signed in the artist's hand, numbered, and dated.