Types of Documents Used to Establish
Provenance
In a previous entry on
this blog, I wrote about Provenance 101. Now the question is,
“What types of documentation are used to establish Provenance?”
1)
Was your item bought at auction? If so, it
was probably featured in the Auction Houses’ catalog. This would be part of the
provenance. It may also help in tracking down more history.
2)
If available, a letter authored by
original owner describing the item, what it meant, and how it was
acquired/received by him/her is a valuable document.
3)
Certificate of Authenticity (COA). This
would typically come from the manufacturer. The manufacturer would be the most
credible source for this type of document.
4)
If your item has a serial number, provide
that serial number to manufacturer. They most likely will be able to verify its
authenticity and model number, along with the production dates.
5)
Bill of Sale with the date of sale,
purchase price, who sold it, who bought it, in what city and of course a
description of the item itself.
6)
Photographic records of the item along
with its owner.
7)
A written narrative of the current and/or
original owner describing what we are looking at. Who gifted it? Who received
the gift? Is/was there a bigger historical significance to the item? Be sure to
add significant events or changes in status as time goes on that would be of
importance to the item’s provenance.
Anderson Cooper,
reporting on “60 Minutes”, shows in $80 Million Con
what can happen when provenance is ignored or taken for granted.
If you have other
examples of any other types of documents to establish provenance, email Harald
Mallwitz. It may be included in a possible future entry in
this blog.
Harald Mallwitz
General Manager
Coppell Collectibles,
L.L.C.
http://coppellcollectibles.blogspot.com/
email: harald.mallwitz@gmail.com
