Certificate Of Authority

How can I tell if a Certificate of Authority is real or not.

I'm thinking about bidding on something. They claim to have a certificate, but its not signed, notarized, dated or anything.

If I bid, am I getting ripped off.

I went online to figure out what one is because I never heard of one before in this context. Is this a government issued or business issued document?

How can I tell if a Certificate of Authority is real or not.

I'm thinking about bidding on something. They claim to have a certificate, but its not signed, notarized, dated or anything.

If I bid, am I getting ripped off.

My bad!

I'm glad somebody reads what I typed and not what I meant.

I meant to type Cerificate of AUTHENTICITY,and it is issued by the seller.

Happy Turkey day to all. (if you celebrate Thanksgiving).

Stan

How can I tell if a Certificate of Authority is real or not.

I'm thinking about bidding on something. They claim to have a certificate, but its not signed, notarized, dated or anything.

If I bid, am I getting ripped off.

Wait a minute.
That Stan who asked the original question is not me. I thought someone was commenting on an earlier post where I said to beware of sellers offering Certificates of Authenticity, and I did spell it correctly.

How can I tell if a Certificate of Authority is real or not.

I'm thinking about bidding on something. They claim to have a certificate, but its not signed, notarized, dated or anything.

If I bid, am I getting ripped off.

Stan,

Happy Holidays to ALL!!!!!

I'm new to the handcuff world but I have been dealing with sports collectibles and Certificates of Authenticity (COA) for almost 20 years. The value or weight that a COA carries is in most cases very subjective. It is suppose to be a document that provides some kind of proof that an item is real and represents what it claims to be. It can add a tremendous value to an item. A COA can be in the form of a letter of something more formal.

A COA should contain some type of declaration that the item is real, how the item was obtained, and who is making the assertion that the piece is authentic. For example, I obtain a pair of handcuffs from a famous collector and want to sell them. I provide a document that I obtained the cuffs in person on 11-22-07. You have my name and basically my word that the item is authentic. It can be that simple. Items obtained in person by the seller offering the COA are the most likely to be authentic. The more times an item changes hands the more subjective a COA becomes.

The COA should identify the item,(the more detail the better), and who is attesting that it is authentic. In most cases it is a matter of trust. Recently a ebay seller offered a pair of handcuffs that were supposed to be from Andersonville. At the time they were posted I'm sure the seller believed they were authentic and would have been willing to sign a COA to that end. After input from knowledgeable expects the seller withdrew the item. Many of the fake items on ebay are sold by honest people who don't know any better.

There is a real danger with anything that is a production type item. If there is no identifiable serial number, signature, mark or something to make the item unique, how can it ever be proved that the piece is or is not real?

The bottom line is that you have to trust the person you are dealing with, do the research on the item(know what you are buying), and if the deal is to good to be true, it probably is. If a similar item sells for $5000 and a seller is offering it at $500, you are about to be had. Good Luck.

Damon

How can I tell if a Certificate of Authority is real or not.

I'm thinking about bidding on something. They claim to have a certificate, but its not signed, notarized, dated or anything.

If I bid, am I getting ripped off.

So, bottom line, a COA isn't worth the piece of paper it's written on.

Oh, yes, I'll swear up and down I purshased these from John Doe in 1985, and John Doe told me he got them from Ralph Roe in 1957, and Ralph told John that he got them from Jimbo, who got them from some guy he doesn't remeber the name of, but who undoubtedly got them from the stage manager in Fulton, Ohio (or wherever) when Harry Houdini performed there in 1912, but left them behind when he was late for a train and the cleaning crew found them the next morning.

There is nothing on file that Harry Houdini ever denied these were not his.

And we have photographs showing Houdini exhibiting this very set, or one just like it.

P. T Barnum was right. There is indeed a sucker born every minute.

How can I tell if a Certificate of Authority is real or not.

I'm thinking about bidding on something. They claim to have a certificate, but its not signed, notarized, dated or anything.

If I bid, am I getting ripped off.

Can I interest anyone in real estate in southern Florida, nice undeveloped lots with lots of nature around........

How can I tell if a Certificate of Authority is real or not.

I'm thinking about bidding on something. They claim to have a certificate, but its not signed, notarized, dated or anything.

If I bid, am I getting ripped off.

Y'All see this?

http://auctionwally.blogspot.com/2007/1 ... y-fob.html

How can I tell if a Certificate of Authority is real or not.

I'm thinking about bidding on something. They claim to have a certificate, but its not signed, notarized, dated or anything.

If I bid, am I getting ripped off.

Enough said.

A COA is not worth s##t.

Anyone, at anytime, can come up with one.

And it means nothing. All you have to do is write it up, put it on a fancy piece of paper, and trust some sucker will fall for it.

Thanks, guys.