We mention provenance a lot.

It’s one of the most important words in collecting.

Every collector needs to understand it.

And play their own part in building it.

What is provenance?

Let’s go straight to the dictionary:

Webster’s tells us:

It’s the origin or source of something, adding, “the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature.”

Pretty simple.

And pretty vital.

A unique item, signed on the day and given to the Rabbi who carried out the wedding this extraordinary Marilyn Monroe (Miller) and Arthur Miller signed album is strongly linked to a date and the people involved. 

Provenance can add substantially to the value of your collection.

And it can make it unsellable.

Moral and legal dimensions of provenance

You’ll excuse us for jumping to extremes, but among the most clear-cut cases of provenance mattering are examples of Nazi loot and the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi occupied Europe.

That persecution ended in one of the worst atrocities in history.

Along the way, Jewish art owners were forced by law or pressured into selling treasured works of art.

Nazi Germany occupied most of Europe.

And then collapsed in chaos.

It was theft on an extraordinary scale.

And extremely difficult to put right.

Here’s a very high-profile example.

In 2012, a Picasso portrait of his friend Angel Fernandez de Soto, painted in 1903 was due to come up for auction.

It was owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and being sold to fund charitable work by his foundation.

And the sale was stopped at the last minute.

Professor Julius Schoeps claimed that the picture had been owned by his family.

Professor Schoeps' great uncle Paul von Mendelssohn Bartholdy had had the picture.

He was a Jewish man in Nazi Germany.

And although there is no direct evidence of a theft or a coerced sale attached to the picture there is certainly very strong circumstantial evidence that a beloved family art collection was disassembled because of the Nazi persecution of Jews.

Because, in 1935 it was suddenly in the hands of a dealer with no record as to how it got there.

Restitution is still going on in Germany, where consultations over proposed new laws were held last year.

Some cases are clear cut.

Nazis straightforwardly stole tons of art.

But some were less obvious.

Hermann Goering used a dealer to buy from Jewish owners across Europe. The threat of persecution guaranteed they would sell and do so cheaply.

Around 20,000 stolen works of art from the period are still thought to be missing.

Many such cases end in legal deals that allow a work of art to be sold and share the proceeds among those who dispute its ownership.

It is possible to own works stolen by the Nazis without knowing it.

Because of a lack of provenance.

Few collectors operate at the very top end of the art market.

But almost all collectors covet unique and often old items.

These extreme examples are about the moral and legal right to own and sell what may be stolen goods.

But when value depends so much on the unique qualities of an individual item then value becomes what one can prove to be true.

Provenance and value

It is possible to forge signatures.Beatles signatures are often forged, from the renowned Stanley Gibbons collections, this piece is certified. 

And lots of “original” signatures were made by machines, stamps, or members of staff employed by harassed stars.

Experts will certify signatures for you. For a fee.

And good sellers will also certificate the authenticity of what they sell.

We do.

But a good chain of documentary evidence linking an item to the person who gives it value is the best protection you have as a buyer or seller.

This doesn’t always mean first-hand, primary evidence.

Few people photograph themselves collecting a signature from a star.

Though in the age of selfies that’s much more easily done.

But a ticket to a concert where they met them is a great plus. 

Lots of collectibles enter the market via people with a personal connection to a star. Family members, staff, friends...

If you ever buy or sell such an item you need to get a letter or statement in writing documenting that connection.

And how the item came to them. A picture of them together too. 

Recently, some watches made for the film Le Mans and worn on screen by Steve McQueen have come up for auction.

Key to its value (it has an estimate of up to $1 million) is an ownership link to the film via Bevan Weston, who worked as a mechanic on the film.

On the right and wearing the Steve McQueen watch is mechanic Bevan Weston. Image courtesy Bevan Weston.

He was subsequently photographed wearing the watch as he continued to work in motorsport.

Creating a paper trail: build your own provenance

You should get into the habit of creating your own provenance.

Always demand as much hard-copy documentation as is available when you buy an item.

Receipts are the very least of it. Statements, expert assessments, certificates of authenticity, pictures all add to the totality of provenance. 

If you do anything with or to an item - have it appraised or cleaned or serviced or further assessed - then document that and add it to your folder.

Without provenance we’re nothing

I always counsel collectors to be cautious without being paranoid.

The vast majority of the collectibles world is open, honest and enthusiastically available to offer advice to newcomers.

But you should never feel bad about asking for provenance.

This is a lovely stamp, the renowned £1 brown lilac. Just as beautiful to a buyer is the certificate below.

And you should never feel bad about turning down an item that doesn’t have enough provenance to give you confidence to buy it.

Sometimes a personal guarantee feels good enough to you. If so, get it in writing.

Certified and guaranteed genuine collectibles

We think checking the provenance of everything we sell is part of the standard service for collectibles.

And, we guarantee everything we sell is genuine.

And we give you a money-back-backed guarantee to that effect.

Carrying decades of expertise and experience.

Take a look around our store here.

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