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THE COMPLETE
GUIDE TO
LIMITED EDITION ART PRINTS
How to Identify, Invest & Care for Your Collection
by: Jay Brown |
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CHAPTER 21
- AUTHENTICATIONS |
The Importance of Authentication
With many limited-edition prints, a
certificate of authenticity is included that states the title, publisher,
edition size, year of release and other facts about the piece. Sometimes this
paper has a space for the specific print number and other times it’s created in
a generic format with one version replicated to work for the entire run.
The importance of this paperwork has become more
dependent on each publisher’s philosophy than anything else. The publishers that
issue the traditional generic authenticities — those without specific print
numbers — do so with the idea that the best authentication you can have is a
sales receipt from a well-known, reputable gallery.
Other publishers take a different attitude toward
authenticity. They screen the print number onto the document, providing a
document for each print that is numbered correspondingly. In these cases, the
publisher is giving it a value, though it’s just a sales ploy to make the
consumer perceive value.
In reality, the collector must always remember that
they are buying the image. The purpose of the paperwork is to guarantee the
piece is authentic, when in reality it doesn’t offer any true guarantee of
authenticity. If the print is not authentic, the paperwork would be the easiest
part of the process to forge. Forging the multi-colored print image would be the
tough part. And, if someone is intent on forging a print, they’ll figure out a
way to do it.
Work with reputable galleries and trust that they are
knowledgeable enough to know a forged work if they see it and honest enough to
make sure you don’t buy it. And it’s best to keep all the paperwork that comes
with your print including an original sales receipt. This way if you go to sell
your precious work of art, you’ll be prepared to provide any item that the buyer
might feel is of value.
The Publisher’s Seal of Authenticity
As another form of authentication, various
publishers have moved to using an embossing or a gold foil decal on the art
paper. The design used often duplicates the company’s or artist’s logo and it
can be found on the bottom edge below the image. In most cases, the placement is
strategically placed so matting can cover it and prevent it from detracting from
the image.
This process of authentication is more common in
original prints today than in offset lithographs; however, as the offset
industry continues to grow, it is likely to become more and more prevalent. The
hope is that this type of unique enhancement will not only deter forgeries, but
make them easier to identify as well.
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