quote:

Originally posted by Bill Mullins:

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
but there must be an accepted way to know and prove it, as is done with any painter, even the Old Masters.

There is no "proof", only opinions. Even the "experts" change their minds, and disagree with each other. Is Salvator Mundi by da Vinci? Opinions vary . . .

I agree with you, but that's why I said "an accepted way to know and prove it". The way is accepted, if not necessarily absolute proof. Get one of the right experts to say its genuine and its genuine. If no one wants to authenticate, or if it's not the right people, it could still be real, but where is the documentation to prove it? Who wants to buy it on the seller's word when the seller will claim to be a third-party owner? "A fake you say, well it fooled me too".

It is a game of opinion, but if you are going to pay $15K for a Bob Ross painting, you had better have that opinion signed and on paper from the right guy.

You can also relate that to the reason why you buy a licensed certified autograph card, as opposed to someone's TTM signed base card. They may both be just as genuine, but only one carries the assumption of a guarantee and the other needs signature authentication that may not come.