COA (Certificate of Authenticity)

A Certificate of Authenticity (COA) is a document that accompanies a signed item, certifying that the autograph is genuine. However, not all COAs are created equal — the value and credibility of a COA depends entirely on who issued it.

COAs from the three major authentication companies — PSA, JSA, and Beckett — are widely respected and add significant value to an autographed item. These companies employ trained forensic analysts and maintain extensive exemplar databases.

Unfortunately, the autograph market is flooded with worthless COAs from unknown companies, individual dealers, and even forgers who create their own fake certificates. A COA from an unrecognized source provides zero assurance of authenticity and may actually be a red flag.

When evaluating a COA, look for: the issuing company's reputation in the hobby, a unique certification number that can be verified online, a tamper-proof hologram sticker on the item itself, and detailed information about the item including a photo.

As a rule of thumb, if a seller is relying on a COA from a company you haven't heard of, treat the item as unauthenticated. Legitimate authentication from PSA, JSA, or Beckett is the only reliable way to confirm an autograph's genuineness.

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