"Certificate of Authenticity"...

[Dan of Bazz Clazz]

Something I've always wondered. Given the rise of fakes and counterfeit knives on the market as well as the well deserved vocal stances denouncing said fakes and clones here on BF:

Who puts any credence into a "Certificate of Authenticity" when buying a knife? Some manufacturers seem to think this is somehow a value added proposition to the consumer, making their product somehow worth more.

For the most part, anyone can make one with a graphics program and a color printer. If they are making a forgery of the knife, they darn well can produce a "CofA". Only thing you really know about it is you have an authentic piece of paper in your hand.

In some cases, the manufacturer has a known piece of paper coming with the knife. Arno Bernard for example always has the same tag, hand written with his knives and the tag is usually seen in all the sales photos as well. But it doesn't say "CofA".

So for the collectors out there, what would you rather see when buying a second hand knife. A "CofA" or something else? Bill of sale? Known paperwork that accompanies every knife like Arno? Some other secondary ID? An accompanying screw tool? A bag or polishing cloth? Unique packaging like Kizer? Maybe something like Northwoods or Arno's coin? Arno has stopped including a coin BTW.

Just curious what carries the most weight that you are getting the real deal - outside of buying from a known dealer or 3rd party.

 

[Dfunk1210]

I would not go on the Certificate of Authenticity alone. But it most certainly helps. It is an extra detail that can be checked against a genuine article.

Edit: Just a few added thoughts. Preserving the box and all the original content goes a long way to not only promote authenticity, but also shows how much care the owner put into the knife.

 

[Mikel_24]

Some counterfeit knives come with pretty much the same box, pouches and paperwork as the originals. So my understanding is that the only way to avoid (to some extent) the risk of getting a counterfeit knife... is purchasing it from a well known dealer or better yet (but you will be paying premium) the manufacturer itself.

Any other source may always leave you thinking...

 

[leghog]

Like fancy boxes, just another thing to hang onto if you want to flip the knife or later sell it.

An old adage applies here ---- if you don't know jewels, know your jeweler.

 

[19-3ben]

Meh. As OP points out, CofA is so easy to fake it’s irrelevant to me. It’s like a bandaid on a bullet wound.

I just read about Fallkniven now using some kind of scannable hologram sticker that you can check with an app. That too could possibly be faked, but it would take a lot more effort.

 

[Planterz]

If a certificate of authenticity is issued, one should be able to assume that it would be traceable through records kept by the manufacturer or individual maker. Serial numbers, dates, descriptions, even photographs, etc. Otherwise, it seems pointless and useless to include one.

 

[Mossyhorn]

 

[red mag]

While it may not convince you of the authenticity,
it could proof a fake.
Anyway, I hope it makes it harder for the bad guys.

 

[danbot]

It doesn't mean much to me either. Unless it's signed by hand and some method of signature verification is available...

 

[A.L.]

I think it's more of a "nice touch" or gesture, when it's signed by hand. Other than that, it's no big deal for me.

 

[evilgreg]

Certificates of authenticity are pointless. When I was buying up Spyderco Southards a few years back the market was suddenly flooded with fakes and I bought one to make sure I could tell the real knives from the fakes. There were a number of small differences in the knives, the color and finish of the titanium, the absence or presence of a hole here or there, but the box and printed edge-u-cation or whatever materials were all but indistinguishable from the originals:

If they can make the packaging and brochure so well, making a fake CoA letter or card would be casually feasible. It's not like kicking it up a notch and making a titanium CoA cards would challenge them any either; clearly the shops in China know their way around having CNC machines carve titanium already.

 

[madcap_magician]

Really this only works for serialized knives, but if the maker keeps files of knives sold and their descriptions, it's still helpful because it's a two-step verification process.

Also if the maker keeps files of short descriptions, it's kind of like having a S&W or Colt letter- you can know what the knife configuration and materials were when it left the maker. That's helpful for some knives where the blade steel is not marked in cases where there have been multiple owners.