Certificate of Authenticity generator for artists

What a professional Certificate of Authenticity includes

• A clear photograph of the artwork
• Title, year, medium, dimensions
• Edition number and edition size (for prints or multiples)
• Artist's name and a unique certificate number
• Artist's signature
• Issue date
• Optional notes — materials, provenance, special conditions

The Artwork Codex COA generator pulls all of this from the artwork record and the COA settings you configure once, then outputs a clean, elegant PDF in EB Garamond. No layout work, no inconsistency, no re-typing.

Why collectors expect a COA

Collectors aren't just buying an object. They're buying provenance, resale potential, insurability, and peace of mind. A Certificate of Authenticity is the document that makes those things portable.

Without a COA, every future question about the work — is it real? is it a genuine edition? who made it? — becomes a research project. With a COA, the record travels with the work.

Auto-numbered so nothing slips

Every COA issued by Artwork Codex gets a unique certificate number automatically. Each issued certificate stays linked to its artwork and, where applicable, its edition copy, making it easier to see what has been certified.

This matters more than it sounds. If a collector contacts you years later to verify a certificate number, a linked record is much easier to retrieve than a folder of unnamed PDFs.

Configure your signature and details once

Set your artist name, display name, signature image, and COA preferences in settings. Every COA uses those defaults, so your certificates are consistent across every work — same typography, same layout, same signature placement.

For editions, the generator handles copy numbering automatically. For unique works, it omits edition info cleanly. You don't have to remember the difference.

COA generation is part of a full inventory tool

The COA is only as strong as the record behind it. Artwork Codex keeps your COAs connected to the underlying artwork: images, dimensions, provenance, sales, and exhibition history all live on the same record.

Reusing the same underlying artwork record reduces inconsistent re-typing when you issue or reprint a certificate. And when a collector calls, you have the full picture of the work in one place — not split across a folder of certificates, a spreadsheet, and an email archive. See how this fits with a proper artwork cataloging workflow.

How to generate your first COA

1. Create an account or open the live demo.
2. Add an artwork with images, dimensions, and medium.
3. Open the artwork and click "Generate COA."
4. Choose copy number (if an edition) and add any notes.
5. Download the PDF.

That's it. No templates, no manual numbering, no layout work. Once the artwork record and COA settings are ready, Artwork Codex handles the certificate number and PDF layout.