On the photo of the certificate of authenticity, it seems that the actor does not sign in the same place as on the item I received. Why?
Here is the explanation:
An actor is invited by their agent and Celebrity Authentics or another organizing company to spend an afternoon signing various items.
First of all, please be aware that the actor does not do this for free. They can charge up to $1,000 per signature, which is the case for Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, depending on the type of item to be signed. During conventions across the USA, as well as in Europe, actors will ask for between €150 and €450 to sign a photo, between €200 and €600 for a poster, and between €50 and €150 more for a photo with you, depending on their level of fame.
During this (lucrative) afternoon of signings, the actor will sign, for example, 50 identical photos of themselves in Terminator, 50 identical photos from Conan the Barbarian, 50 Terminator Dark Fate posters, 2 life-size busts, or other items.
A photo is then taken during each session. This means that for the Terminator photos, a single photo will be used to create each of the 50 certificates of authenticity. The photo is digitally applied to the certificate template, and then 50 (yellow) certificate cards are created. These 50 cards are therefore all identical; it is the same photo on all 50. What distinguishes each of the 50 items is the hologram that is stuck onto each item; the number on each one is different from the other 49.
This is why the signature on your item might not necessarily be in the exact same spot as on the photo; even though the actor aims to sign in the same place every time, there may be a shift of one or two centimeters from one item to another.
I went to the Celebrity Authentics website to check the number on the hologram, but it says the number cannot be found.
Indeed, this has happened to us as well.
When you go to the verification page at the following address: https://celebrityauthentics.com/pages/authentication
and you enter the verification code, in rare cases you may land on the page: "Sorry the hologram Cxxxxxxx has not been found in our database."
Sometimes their database is not up to date (they forgot to register an item or a series of items).
In this case, send them an email at authentication@celebrityauthentics.com and explain your situation. Here is the type of message to send them. You can copy it and add the information in bold:
Hello,
I have bought a Celebrity Authentics photo, poster, statue, or car... but the numbers on the hologram don't match when I check the authenticity on your website. The numbers are: (indicate the code on your sticker; it generally starts with the letter C, for example: C171366).
Thank you for updating it.
Best regards.
(your first name)
You will receive a response as soon as they have checked on their end and made the correction. This is generally quite fast. Remember the 6 to 7-hour time difference between you (in France) and them in the Eastern US.
Where should I go to verify the code found on my item or certificate of authenticity?
PSA/DNA : https://www.psacard.com/cert
JSA : https://www.spenceloa.com/verify-authenticity
Celebrity Authentics : https://celebrityauthentics.com/pages/authentication
Note: the letter preceding the numbers must be selected to the left of the field. Do not type it on the keyboard; select it with your mouse or finger.
SWAU : https://auth.swau.com/pages/verify-hologram
Beckett Authentication : https://www.beckett-authentication.com/verify-certificate
RadtkeSports : there is no database for their old system (sticker + certificate card). To verify if your item is authentic, you must send them your item. There is, of course, a cost: $20 + shipping back and forth. The company has since changed its operations, and thanks to the QR code on the sticker, you can access a database that will confirm the authenticity or not.
As for other companies, it is simple: we only sell what we trust. Therefore, apart from the companies mentioned above, we do not invest at random, and we place maximum trust in items that we like and that have the potential to increase in value once they are in your possession.
Because yes, do not forget that a famous signature is an investment, just like a gold coin or a limited-edition luxury pen.