COA...

[Art Andrews]

Honestly, what is the value of a COA? I know the purpose but personally I feell like any COA is not worth the paper it is printed on... and yet I have had had numerous auctions with screen used items in which people ask for a COA and have not bid if I didn't have one. I mean, if it would make them feel better, I suppose I could print one up real quickly the way some companies do, but it would have no real value and would not make the item one ounce more authentic. Could they sue me if they later found out it was a fake because they had a COA? I just don't get it...

ANYONE can create a COA but it doesn't make the item authentic. It only means that person BELIEVES it is. Well big whoop. I have seen NUMEROUS items from some BIG NAME movie prop sellers that I knew had been modified or were not 100% authentic and yet they sold them with a COA because they thought they were...

Again, does a COA have ANY real value at all or is it just a gimmick to make an ignorant public feel a little bmore secure and safe about their purchase?

 

[tgreco]

I think it has to do with the idea that documentation adds legitamacy...

lack of a COA wouldn't stop me from purchasing, as I plan to have it all buried with me... but some folks do this as an investment, and they feel documentation adds to the investment value...

just my 2 cents

 

[BAlinger15]

A COA is as good as the backer.

A COA from somewhere like Propstore or ScreenUsed means the item is as good as gold. A COA from some place no one has ever heard of....

Anyone can write a letter of authenticity for a piece- it essentially is a letter from the owner you are buyig the piece from that outlines it's history. If some recognizable names are in the history, or people who can be contacted to verify the details, so much the better.

I think you could write your own COAs Art. I sometimes write mine.

-Brandon

 

[ReelManiac]

Originally posted by BAlinger15@Feb 14 2006, 02:55 AM
A COA is as good as the backer.

-Brandon

[snapback]1183761[/snapback]​

Yep, it all depends on who it's from.

I know certain companies that get their items directly from the studio, so when I see their COA I know where the piece originated from. Same goes for COA's written by people that work directly for the studios- you know the source is valid.

If I see a COA written by Joe Blow then I have no clue where it really came from, regardless of what he claims, so I wouldn't even bother with it.

 

[firstmark]

Even knowing the source is valid and the item came directly from the studio does not guarantee the item described is not a backup item, a prototype, or from a cut scene. And studios often know very little about their items. Involved in the production thats all a studio source can guarantee for certain.

People do make mistakes even if they believe something is as described, a COA if its a guarantee just ensures the mistake can result in a refund for the original buyer and no more.

Another brief discussion about COA's occured at another forum at http://www.moviepropforum.com/index.php?showtopic=29
for reference sake.
Once one determines if COA's have any value or not the question ultimately returns to the source and their reputation.

 

[aliensarchive]

They are worthless since any printed COA can be faked. Unless you can invest in DNA fingerprinting like the WB. Newbies will always want one because their John Wayne shot glass came with one.

Make your own cheaply and keep your customers happy...

 

[Kerr Avon]

I'm unclear on exactly what the WB DNA fingerprinting system is. I have a screen used prop from Babylon 5 bought from the WB auction and it states it has a DNA fingerprint or signature on it. What exactly is that?

 

[PHArchivist]

Originally posted by BAlinger15@Feb 14 2006, 02:55 AM
A COA is as good as the backer.

A COA from somewhere like Propstore or ScreenUsed means the item is as good as gold.  A COA from some place no one has ever heard of....

[snapback]1183761[/snapback]​

Word.

 

[p0sitr0nic]

CoA's are worth about that from an unknown. And to me, not much more from a known. I mean, if you like what youre buying, enjoy it.

 

[TheSt.LouisKid]

Thats clearly a fake p0sitr0nic COA.

You can tell since the "O"s are not upper case.

Originally posted by p0sitr0nic@Feb 14 2006, 05:17 AM

CoA's are worth about that from an unknown.  And to me, not much more from a known. I mean, if you like what youre buying, enjoy it.

[snapback]1183847[/snapback]​

 

[p0sitr0nic]

I so rarely spell my own screen name I forget the freakin zeros from time to time.

 

[RKW]

Again, does a COA have ANY real value at all or is it just a gimmick to make an ignorant public feel a little bmore secure and safe about their purchase?

This sounds a little harsh. I don't think anyone wants to be scammed. I find it's becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between replicas and real props and considering screen used command a higher price it's nice to have some insurance.

I wouldn't go making up one as there could be a legal ramification. Eventually a more knowledgeable person will come along and recognise the prop for what it is and bid.

 

[Art Andrews]

Originally posted by RKW@Feb 14 2006, 09:30 AM

Again, does a COA have ANY real value at all or is it just a gimmick to make an ignorant public feel a little bmore secure and safe about their purchase?

This sounds a little harsh. I don't think anyone wants to be scammed. I find it's becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between replicas and real props and considering screen used command a higher price it's nice to have some insurance.

I wouldn't go making up one as there could be a legal ramification. Eventually a more knowledgeable person will come along and recognise the prop for what it is and bid.

[snapback]1183932[/snapback]​

Sorry. Wasn't intending to be harsh. You are right, to a degreee. As replicas get better and better it DOES get more difficult to tell the difference between authentic and fake. I guess the thing is, in the circles I run in, and the props I am interested in, there is still enough of a gap to tell and I am much more interested in the prop itself and examining it instead of relying on someone's else's promise that it is what they say it is. I feel like many (not all) screen-used props speak for themselves and only those who are ignrorant would rely on a COA. The mentality seems to be "This is a screen-used prop because this piece of paper says it is." I would rather be able to say "This is a screen used prop because I know what/how the originals were made and this one can be matched on screen." I know this can't be done with every prop, but I think it can be done with quite a few.

 

[Trooper TK409]

I agree with you Braks. I think a screencap or two would be a better "COA" for me to judge whether it's authentic. Of course you'd have to have done your homework in order to judge.

 

[p0sitr0nic]

Of course you'd have to have done your homework in order to judge.

If one cant be assed to do some research, one does not deserve a real screen used item ^_~

 

[DL 44 Blaster]

Originally posted by Brak's Buddy@Feb 14 2006, 08:53 AM
I would rather be able to say "This is a screen used prop because I know what/how the originals were made and this one can be matched on screen."  I know this can't be done with every prop, but I think it can be done with quite a few.

[snapback]1184001[/snapback]​

I couldn't agree more. If I for one was to even think of entering the realm of screen used peices I would begin my research early on items to insure *I* knew it was of screen use.

Steve