A Certificate of Authenticity (COA) is a crucial document that should accompany every artwork you create, regardless of its sale status. It serves as the primary tool for establishing an artwork's provenance and officially declares that you are the creator of the piece.
There are two methods within Artwork Archive to generate a Certificate of Authenticity: within an individual Piece Record or from your main Reports page.
Within a Piece Record
In the left-side menu, click on Pieces.
Select the Piece for which you want to create a Certificate of Authenticity.
Click New Report > Certificate of Authenticity.
On the editing page:
Fill out the required fields.
Select the information you want to include under Options.
(Optional) Fill out the COA text field.
(Optional) Click Save as Template to create a reusable template.
Then click Generate.
You will be redirected to your main Reports page. From here, you can immediately view, download as a PDF, copy URL, share or edit.
Did you know?
Save Time with Templates!
You can save your current settings as a template by clicking Save as Template. This action will preserve all your selected data and options. The next time you create this report, your saved template will be available, allowing you to quickly generate reports with your preferred settings.
From Your Reports Page
Click Reports/Docs on the left-side menu.
Click the drop-down menu New Report.
Select Certificate of Authenticity.
Select the artwork for which you want to generate a Certificate of Authenticity:
Click the name of the artwork.
On the editing page:
Fill out the required fields.
Select the information you want to include under Options.
(Optional) Fill out the COA text field.
(Optional) Click Save as Template to create a reusable template.
Then click Generate.
You will be redirected to your main Reports page. From here, you can click the little blue arrow next to the title of the report to immediately view, download as a PDF, copy URL, share or edit.
Understanding the COA Signature Section
The signature section at the bottom of your Certificate of Authenticity contains three handwritten fields that you will fill out by hand to establish the document's authenticity:
Name: Write your name as the artist/creator of the artwork
Date: Write the date you are signing and completing the Certificate of Authenticity (this is the COA creation date, not the artwork creation date)
The creation date for the artwork is included from the Piece record creation date within the artwork information section of the COA.
Signature: Your handwritten signature goes here (as you would sign checks or an autograph)
Did you know?
All three fields in the signature section can be filled out by hand
The artwork's creation date appears in the main body of the COA with other Piece information
The signature section date represents when you're authenticating the work, which may be different from when you created it
If the artwork has been sold and you have a registered sales record for the Piece, buyer information will automatically appear in the printed COA content
Learn how to register a sale here.
Example of a Certificate of Authenticity:
COA Best Practices
Always sign and date your COAs - This establishes when you verified the artwork's authenticity
Access your COA history - All generated COAs are automatically saved in your Reports tab for easy access and reprinting
Be consistent - Use templates to ensure all your COAs follow your preferred data settings
Update sales information - When an artwork sells, make sure to mark it as "Sold" so buyer information appears on the COA if creating for the buyer of the Piece