The Certificate of Authenticity, or CoA, has become standard in the shark tooth market, but the quality of what it actually documents varies widely. Some CoAs are substantive records of the specimen and its history. Others are decorative paper that says little of value. Knowing what a real CoA should include lets you assess one critically when it arrives.
Specimen Identification
The CoA should identify the specimen unambiguously: a unique SKU or inventory number, the species (in both common and scientific name), the era (modern, pre-ban modern, fossil), and the position if known (e.g., “upper anterior”). This identification should match the listing description exactly.
Measurements
Size in slant height to the hundredth of an inch (or to the tenth of a millimeter). Weight in grams for fossil specimens. For jaws, mounted width. A CoA that gives only approximate sizes (“approximately 2 inches”) is documentation light.
Condition Assessment
The grade (A, B, C) with a brief description of what supports that grade. For example: “Grade A: complete root, intact serrations on both edges, no restoration.” If any restoration is present, it should be specified in the CoA: location, extent, and the date the restoration was identified or performed.
Provenance
For modern teeth, the CoA should state the era (pre-ban or documented modern channel), the year the specimen entered the seller’s inventory, and the source. For pre-ban specimens, this includes the original collection era (e.g., “collected and entered private collection in California, late 1970s”). For fossil teeth, the locality is the central provenance element: which formation, which county or region, and ideally which commercial pit or collection.
Photographs
A serious CoA includes or references photographs of the specimen at the time of certification. Five views minimum: labial, lingual, profile, root close-up, and a ruler shot. The photographs should be retained by the seller and provided to the buyer.
Authority and Signature
The CoA should be signed (or digitally signed) by the dealer making the authentication, on letterhead or under the dealer’s clear identification. The dealer’s name and contact information should be unambiguous. CoAs signed by “a certified appraiser” without a name, contact, or credential are functionally meaningless.
What a CoA Should Not Claim
A reputable CoA does not make claims it cannot substantiate. It should not claim the tooth came from a specific named animal unless documented. It should not claim “museum quality” or “investment grade” without a defined meaning. It should not claim “guaranteed appreciation” or any return on investment.
The CoA as Chain of Custody
The CoA is most valuable not as a sales document but as a chain of custody record. Keep every CoA with the specimen it documents. When you sell or pass on the specimen later, the CoA travels with it. A specimen with multi-decade CoA documentation is more valuable than the same specimen with no record.
What to Ask For
If a specimen arrives without a CoA, ask the seller for one. A reputable dealer will produce one for any specimen they’ve sold, even retroactively. If the seller cannot or will not produce one, treat that as data about the seller.