New California Law Requires Certificate of Authenticity with Sale of Autographed Works

In California this past September, AB1570 Collectables: Sale of Autographed Memorabilia, was signed into law.

The law now requires autographed material sold for more than $5 to be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Specifically, the law stipulates:

“Whenever a dealer, in selling or offering to sell to a consumer a collectible in or from this state, provides a description of that collectible as being autographed, the dealer shall furnish a certificate of authenticity to the consumer at the time of sale. The certificate of authenticity shall be in writing, shall be signed by the dealer or his or her authorized agent, and shall specify the date of sale.” The law goes on to give specific points the certificate must include.

While it may seem like a simple crackdown on forged autograph sales, it may overly complicate the sale of smaller arts and antiques such as books.

Tags: AB1570, autographed memorabilia, certificate of authenticity, collectables, legislation, signed