Limited edition photos

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by Photoboothguy

I always found COAs to be kind of strange. How does one determine that the certificate is authentic? Is there a COA for the COA?

Of course, it involves radiocarbon dating and DNA samples.

No, a CoA isn't exactly for what it sounds like it's for. It's not a way for the artist to assure the buyer of authenticity, it's a sort of safeguard for the buyer. It's what they hold if they ever need to back up the work. Plus it's easier to steal a work on display than a CoA, etc etc.

[digirebelva]

Remember to, that when you do a limited edition, you are legally binding yourself to whatever number you set...so be careful how you set that number...(i.e. 50 total prints for all sizes etc...or 50 for each different size you might print)
Break that number and you can be sued by those who have already bought your work..as you have effectively devalued their purchase

[klausson]

The certificate is essentially the contract that says "I will not print more than what I say and yours is the 3rd out of 50". Of course anybody can print one for themselves and make it "look" authentic. But to have any value, it needs to come from a known entity. Either from an established photographer or from a known gallery or distributor. In this case if somebody were to buy the reproduced image later (the only case where it becomes important), the buyer could contact the originator of the CoA and ask about the authenticity (essentially the CoA for the CoA, if you will ;-) ).