Authentication FAQ

A Certificate of Authenticity is a signed document that formally attests a work is genuine — typically stating the artist, title, medium, edition, and date. A COA carries weight only when it comes from a party with real authority: the artist, their estate, the publisher, or a recognized authentication service. At Gauntlet Gallery, every certificate is paired with a verifiable record so a buyer can confirm the details rather than relying on paper alone. Verify a COA →

A Letter of Authenticity is a letter — rather than a formal certificate — issued by an authenticator or dealer affirming that a work or signature is genuine. It is common in autographs and memorabilia. Like a COA, its value depends entirely on the credibility of the issuing authority: a letter from a respected third-party authenticator with a matching certification number is far stronger than an anonymous one.

No. A COA or certificate supports authenticity, but it does not by itself guarantee it. Confidence is built when the certificate, the provenance, and physical inspection of the work all agree. A certificate is only as trustworthy as the body that issued it, and a document alone — with no verifiable record and no supporting provenance — proves little. This is why we treat the certificate as one link in a chain, never the whole story. See how to spot a fake →

An authentication chain is the specific, unbroken sequence of documents and bodies that establishes a work as genuine — for example, a publisher or artist COA plus a matching seal plus a database or provenance record. Chains are artist-specific and should never be mixed or substituted between artists. A music authenticator cannot certify a space artifact; the recognized authority for one category has no standing in another. See the collector glossary →

A certificate number is a unique identifier that ties a certificate to a single work and, ideally, to a verifiable registry entry. A number that can be checked against an official database is far stronger than one that cannot. When you receive a certificate, confirm that its number matches the piece and resolves to a live verification record — matching numbers across the document, the seal, and the online record are what make a certificate defensible at resale. Look up a certificate number →

Every item runs through a multi-layer stack: a category-specific third-party certifier where one applies, a physical certificate with a tamper-evident seal, and, for select works, a blockchain-anchored digital record. That means most pieces carry three tiers — physical, digital, and blockchain — so the authentication holds up at every point in the future ownership chain.

Every piece passes a structured sequence of gates before it is certified: source verification and chain-of-custody review; a material and craft examination; a historical and contextual review against known examples; an expert panel review by specialists with category knowledge; a condition and integrity assessment; and final documentation and approval. If the source cannot be verified, the piece does not advance. Only after documentation is complete does a piece enter the curated selection.

Provenance is the documented ownership history of a work, from creation to the present — gallery receipts, invoices, exhibition records, and prior sales. Strong provenance supports authenticity and value; gaps in provenance are a reason for caution. For several artists who have no central authentication body, provenance is the primary basis for authentication, which is why we source only from licensed galleries, verified estates, and auction houses with a documented chain of custody.

Shepard Fairey works are authenticated provenance-first, supported by physical tells — the pencil signature and date, edition marking, paper, and printing. Fairey has no central authentication body, and his studio does not operate a separate third-party authentication program; authentication rests on studio provenance and a direct supply chain from licensed publishers and galleries. There is no Pest Control equivalent for Fairey, and we never claim one.

Every Death NYC work carries an artist-signed Certificate of Authenticity with an embossed gold seal, issued directly from the studio. For this living artist, the artist’s own signed certificate with its gold seal is the primary and definitive authentication — no third-party substitute is accepted or necessary.

High-value designer figures such as KAWS and BE@RBRICK carry a OneCOA digital certificate with NFC-chip verification embedded in the packaging. Tapping the NFC tag with any NFC-capable smartphone returns the provenance record, edition number, and chain of custody. The pairing of the OneCOA digital record and the NFC chip is the authentication chain for these figures.

Warhol works are certified through TrueCOA, a blockchain-anchored authentication registry. Each TrueCOA entry links to provenance documentation and, where available, exhibition history, and is permanently recorded on the Polygon blockchain — a public, immutable ledger with a transaction hash that can be independently verified.

Signed music memorabilia — guitars, gold records, concert lithographs — is authenticated by an industry-standard third-party certifier: Beckett (BAS), JSA (James Spence Authentication), and/or PSA/DNA. We accept no music memorabilia below the PSA or JSA standard, higher-value items carry dual certification, and graded pieces command a premium at resale.

Signed sports memorabilia is authenticated by the same recognized third-party autograph authorities used across the collectibles market: Beckett (BAS), PSA/DNA, and JSA. Each issues a verifiable, serial-numbered certification that a buyer can confirm in the authenticator’s online database.

Space collectibles — mission patches, flown artifacts, and astronaut autographs — are authenticated by Zarelli Space Authentication, the category-specific authority for spaceflown material, with JSA applied where applicable. Each piece includes documentation tracing provenance to the originating mission, program, or crew member. Read more on authentication →

Pest Control is Banksy’s own authentication body — it is the only entity that issues genuine certificates for Banksy works. Gauntlet Gallery does not issue and never claims Pest Control certification. For Banksy items, we work provenance-first, relying on documented ownership history and the supporting records that accompany a piece.

Invader has no Pest Control-style central authority. Invader works are authenticated provenance-first, drawing on records such as a Space Shop invoice, invasion documentation, and gallery records. We never substitute another artist’s chain or claim a certifying body that does not exist for this artist.

These artists have no central authentication authority. Their works are authenticated with a gallery-issued COA plus provenance — the certificate paired with a documented chain of custody from licensed publishers and galleries. As with all provenance-first artists, the strength of the record, not a single piece of paper, is what builds confidence.

PSA is Professional Sports Authenticator, a leading third-party grading and authentication company. Its PSA/DNA service authenticates autographs and memorabilia, issuing a serial-numbered certification that can be verified in an online database. It is one of the recognized standards we use for signed music and sports material.

JSA, or James Spence Authentication, is a widely respected third-party authentication service specializing in autographs and signed memorabilia. A JSA letter or sticker with a matching certification number is a recognized standard in the signed-collectibles market, and we accept no music memorabilia below the PSA or JSA standard.

BAS is Beckett Authentication Services, a major third-party authenticator of autographs and memorabilia. Like PSA and JSA, Beckett issues verifiable certification numbers, and pieces carrying multiple respected letters generally command more confidence. Graded Beckett items in strong condition can command a meaningful premium at resale.

Zarelli Space Authentication is a specialist service that authenticates spaceflown and space-program artifacts and autographs. In a field crowded with reproductions, a Zarelli opinion is the benchmark for astronaut signatures and flown items, which is why it is the category-specific authority we use for space memorabilia.

TrueCOA is a digital certificate-of-authenticity platform that pairs each work with a verifiable online record, letting a buyer confirm a certificate’s details rather than relying on paper alone. It anchors certificate data on the Polygon blockchain, producing a permanent, publicly verifiable transaction hash. We use TrueCOA for select works, including Warhol. Verify a certificate →

OneCOA is a digital certificate system used for high-value designer figures such as KAWS and BE@RBRICK. It pairs with NFC authentication — a small embedded chip in the packaging that, when tapped with a phone, links the physical object to a secure digital record of provenance, edition number, and chain of custody. Any NFC-capable smartphone can read it, making the certificate tamper-evident and scannable by any future owner.

Because authentication is category-specific and there are no shortcuts. A music authenticator cannot certify a space artifact, and a figure’s NFC chain has no bearing on a street-art print. We use the recognized authority for each discipline — Beckett, JSA, and PSA for music and sports; Zarelli for space; OneCOA for designer figures; TrueCOA for select masters; and provenance-first authentication for artists with no central body. Chains are never mixed or substituted.

Confirm three things in agreement: the provenance (invoices, receipts, and ownership history), the certificate, and the physical work itself. Check that the certificate names the correct artist, title, edition, and date, that its number matches the piece, and that the number resolves to a live verification record. Ask for the documented chain of custody. When provenance, certificate, and inspection all line up, you can buy with confidence. Read the buyer’s guides →

A certificate number ties a document to a single specific work. If the number on the certificate matches the seal, the packaging, and — critically — a live online verification record, the certificate is defensible. A number that cannot be checked against an official database, or that does not match the piece it is sold with, is a warning sign. Always confirm the numbers agree before you pay.

No. Visual inspection is necessary but not conclusive on its own. Physical tells — signature, edition marking, paper, printing, seals — support a conclusion, but skilled reproductions can imitate surface features. Authenticity is established when inspection is combined with verifiable provenance and a certificate from a body with real authority. No single one of the three is sufficient alone. Learn the tells →

Provenance and invoices document where a piece came from and who has owned it. A complete chain of custody — from a licensed gallery, verified estate, or auction house — is often the strongest evidence available, and for provenance-first artists like Shepard Fairey, Banksy, and Invader it is the primary basis for authentication. Gaps in that record are a reason to slow down and ask questions before buying.

Yes. Certificates issued by Gauntlet Gallery can be verified online at any point in the future ownership chain — enter your COA code or scan the QR code from your physical certificate to reach the live digital verification record. For blockchain-anchored certificates, the transaction hash on the Polygon ledger can be independently verified without trusting any central party, including us. Verify your certificate →

No. Gauntlet Gallery is independent and is not affiliated with any artist, estate, or authentication body. We use recognized third-party authorities — such as Beckett, JSA, PSA, Zarelli, and TrueCOA — and provenance-first methods where no central body exists, but a certificate supports rather than by itself guarantees authenticity. Provenance, physical inspection, and the certificate together are what build confidence.