Notarized Certificates of Authenticity Can Make Collectible Art and Sports Memorabilia More Valuable

If you are a collector of original art by a famous artist, or a collector of sports memorabilia, you would probably love to have a piece that was signed by the artist or athlete, right? There are many places that sell paintings or sculptures with Certificates of Authenticity. Some of those are even signed by the artist (I have one signed by Eyvind Earle, for some artwork that I bought a few years ago).

Think about this, though. It is really nice to have a signed Certificate of Authenticity by the artist. However, what proof do you have that the artist really signed it, and that it is not a fake?

Sometimes vendors of Sports Memorabilia present photographs to show that an athlete- a baseball player, for example, has signed a hat. They might even supply a Certificate of Authenticity for that. But again, you might still wonder if the athlete really signed the Certificate, and is what you see really the hat in the picture.

One way to absolutely know that a particular artist or athlete has signed a Certificate of Authenticity for a piece of artwork or sports memorabilia is to have the Certificate notarized by a credible, professional, trusted Notary Public. Hollywood Notary.Net offers this service to both amateur and professional artists and professional athletes who wish to create value for their clients by offering this valuable service.

Notarized Certificates of Authenticity can be of great value for several reasons. For one, the Notary affirms the identity of the person signing the certificate. The Notary must actually BE IN THE PRESENCE of the artist or athlete, and must communicate directly with that person. Secondly, there is a PUBLIC RECORD that the artist or athlete actually signed the Certificate, and this PUBLIC RECORD (which is recorded in the Notary Public's Journal in California) can be researched (in California, Notaries are required to turn in their Notary Journals to the County Clerk within 6 months after the end of an active Notary's commission). The artist or athlete's signature would be in the Notary Public's Journal (one entry for each Certificate signed). The content of the Certificate of Authenticity would be completely composed by the artist, athlete, or their lawyers or representatives, but the notarization would be according to California law.

If you are an artist and would like to discuss adding Notarized Certificates of Authenticity to your artistic repertoire, please call Notary Public David Ransom, owner of Hollywood Notary.Net, at (323)393-5822.

Notarized Certificates of Authenticity

Recently (2 weeks ago) I was at the National Fantasy Fan Club's Disneyana Convention in Garden Grove, California, near Disneyland. I love Disney collectibles, whether they be watches, sculptures, toys, drawings, paintings, prints, or whatever. It dawned on me when I was attending the culmination of the convention, the Show and Sale, that I got this great new idea.

I was wondering how I could connect 2 of the biggest things that I do: Collectibles and Notarizing, into a job. Then I got it: Certificates of Authenticity! Many collectibles come with Certificates of Authenticity. I put "Certificate of Authenticity Notarized" into a Google search, and a few things came up. It seems that some places already have been offering obvious stuff- like autographs of celebrities- having notarized Certificates of Authenticity, and I've also seen it with some private Artists.



What if an artist made something by hand himself, that is, sculpted some pieces with his own had and assembled the pieces by himself, for example. Like an artist's proof. Would a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by the artist, make the piece more valuable to the average collector? As a collector myself, I think so. If that Certificate of Authenticity were notarized by a Notary Public, would that make the piece even more valuable? I would venture to guess that it would, for a couple of reasons.

First, if the Artist signs a notarized Certificate of Authenticity, then the Artist also must sign the Notary Public's journal (for states that require Notaries to maintain a journal- California certainly does). In California, a Notary Public's journal is a matter of public record, and any entry in it can be researched by parties who know about the transaction.

Second, if a Certificate is notarized by the Artist, that means that the Artist is identified by the Notary Public (using acceptable identification according to state law). In the case of a Jurat certificate, the Notary must see the Artist sign the Certificate, and the Artist must take an oath stating that the contents of the Certificate are true. In the case of an Acknowledgement certificate, the Artist merely tells the Notary Public that he (or she) signed the Certificate of Authenticity, and it is not necessary for the Notary Public to see them sign the Certificate of Authenticity. (Which would you prefer for your Certificate of Authenticity for an art piece that you purchase, based on the foregoing- a Jurat or an Acknowledgement? )


If you are an artist or company in the Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale or Hollywood area, who would like to create your own Certificates of Authenticity and have them notarized to create value for your collectors, I would be happy to discuss doing business with you in that regard. I can be contacted at (323)393-5822.