Certificate of authenticity for furniture, with a free template

You know exactly what went into the table you delivered last month: which boards, from which yard, which finish and how many coats. In twenty years, the person who owns it will not. A certificate of authenticity is how that knowledge travels with the piece.

For furniture, a good certificate is a short, factual record signed by the maker. It identifies one specific piece, says who made it and what it is made of, and points to a record that will outlast the paper. It helps future owners, restorers and buyers. It also helps you, the next time someone emails a photo and asks whether you made it.

This guide covers what to include, how to number your work, paper versus digital, and how to keep an archive. There is a plain-text template at the end, and a free certificate of authenticity generator if you want a formatted version.

Key takeaways

• A certificate of authenticity is the maker's signed statement about a specific piece, and Artlogic notes it is not by itself an absolute guarantee of authenticity.
• It does not prove ownership, which sits in sales and provenance records such as invoices.
• For furniture, the useful fields are maker, studio, piece name, serial number, completion date, materials and source, finish, dimensions, edition, signature and a link to a permanent record.
• A serial number shared by the piece, the certificate and your archive is what ties them together, as Cassina does with its numbered pieces and identity cards.
• Recording the exact finish matters later, because Fine Woodworking shows that the right repair method depends on the finish.
• Keep your own copy of every certificate, because Artlogic advises that the collector should never be the only person holding evidence it was issued.

What a certificate of authenticity is, and its limits

In the art world, a certificate of authenticity identifies a work and attributes it to its maker. Artlogic's guidance for galleries is blunt about the limits. A certificate can be forged or altered, and its credibility depends on who issued it, what it contains and the records behind it.

Two points follow for furniture makers:

• It is your statement. It says what you made and how. It is only as strong as your records and your reputation.
• It is not proof of ownership. Ownership is shown by sales records and provenance. A certificate can sit alongside those, but cannot replace them.

That is why the certificate should point to something you control: a serial number in your archive, and ideally a permanent online record.

What to include on a furniture certificate

Artlogic lists the core fields for artworks: maker, title, date, medium, dimensions, edition, issuer signature, issue date, contact details and a photograph. Furniture needs the same core, plus the information a restorer will want.

Field	Why it matters
Maker's name	Who made it. If several people worked on it, name the lead maker and the studio
Studio name and contact	How a future owner reaches you. Use a contact that will last, such as a studio email
Piece name or description	"Dining table, oak, trestle base" is clearer than a model name alone
Serial number	The unique key linking piece, certificate and archive
Completion date	Month and year is enough
Materials and source	Species, and where the timber came from, as far as you know it
Finish	Product name and finish family. This guides every future repair
Dimensions	Metric, with imperial if you sell abroad
Edition	"One-off", or "3 of 8" for a numbered run
Maker's mark	Say that the piece is marked. Keep the exact location private
Photograph	One clear image of the finished piece
Signature and issue date	Your signature, and the date you issued the certificate
Link or QR code	To a permanent record that you can update

Why the finish deserves its own line

Fine Woodworking explains that the repair approach depends on the finish. A fresh coat of shellac or solvent lacquer melts into the old one, while a reactive finish such as varnish needs sanding for a new coat to bond. A restorer who knows the finish can skip the solvent tests. The same applies to everyday care, as our guide to oiled wood table care explains.

Why the mark location stays private

Artlogic notes that certificates can be forged. If your certificate says exactly where the mark is and what it looks like, a copyist has a guide. State that the piece carries your mark. Keep a photo of the mark and its location in your archive. You can confirm it privately when someone asks.

How to number your pieces

A serial number only needs to be unique and consistent. A simple pattern works:

• Studio initials, year, sequence. For example AB-2026-014 for the fourteenth piece from studio AB in 2026.
• For editions, add the edition number to the description, such as "Edition 3 of 8", and keep the serial unique.
• Never reuse a number, even for a cancelled piece. Mark it as void in your archive instead.

Put the same number on the piece, on the certificate and in your records. Cassina, for example, marks each piece in its I Maestri collection with a production number that matches its identity card. Genuine Carl Hansen & Søn Wishbone chairs often carry a label under the seat, but 1stdibs notes that these labels can come loose and go missing. A number stamped, branded or engraved into the wood cannot fall off in the same way. Our guide to makers' marks, serial numbers and QR codes covers marking methods in detail.

Paper or digital

Both have a place.

• Paper feels right at handover and works with no internet connection. It can be lost, damaged or separated from the piece.
• Digital can be updated, for example to add a repair or a refinish, and can be reached from a QR code on the piece. It depends on the web address staying live.

A sensible approach uses both. Hand over a signed paper certificate, and print on it a link or QR code to a permanent online record. Choose an address you control and expect to keep, since a dead link undoes the point of the code.

Keep a private archive

Artlogic advises that issuers keep a copy or digital record of every certificate, linked to the work and its sales record. Its phrase is worth repeating: the collector should never be the only person holding evidence that a certificate was issued.

For each serial number, keep:

• a copy of the certificate as issued;
• photos of the finished piece and of your mark in place;
• timber invoices or notes on where the boards came from;
• the finish product, batch if you have it, and number of coats;
• the sale record and the client's details, kept private;
• any later repairs, refinishes or reissued certificates.

How this helps resale and repairs

A future buyer or auction house can match your mark, your serial number and your archive. That gives a much clearer answer than a photo and a guess. A restorer can read the finish and timber from the certificate and choose the right repair. A future owner can find care instructions, and you, years after the sale.

None of this guarantees a higher resale price, and this guide makes no claim about one. What it does is make the piece easier to identify, describe and look after.

Template you can copy

Copy this block and fill in the brackets. For a formatted version with a QR code, use the free certificate of authenticity generator.

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY

Studio:            [Studio name]
Maker:             [Maker's full name]
Contact:           [Studio email or website]

Piece:             [Name or description, e.g. Dining table, oak, trestle base]
Serial number:     [e.g. AB-2026-014]
Edition:           [One-off / Edition X of Y]
Completed:         [Month Year]

Materials:         [Species and parts, e.g. Top and base: European oak]
Timber source:     [Supplier or region, as far as known]
Finish:            [Product name and type, e.g. hardwax oil, 2 coats]
Dimensions:        [L x W x H in mm (in)]

Maker's mark:      This piece carries the maker's mark. Location on record
                   with the studio.

Permanent record:  [URL or QR code]

I confirm that I designed and made the piece described above.

Signed: ______________________     Date issued: [DD Month YYYY]
        [Maker's name]

This certificate describes the piece. It is not a record of ownership.

Sources

• Certificates of authenticity: what galleries and artists need to get right, Artlogic: what a certificate is, core fields, limits, forgery risk, keeping issuer records
• Authenticity mark, Cassina: production number on each piece matching its identity card, contents of the identity card
• Certificate of authenticity, e15: serial numbers on larger pieces identifying them as authentic
• How can you tell if a Wishbone chair is real?, 1stdibs: label under the seat, labels can come loose
• Identifying finishes for repair, Fine Woodworking: repair approach depends on the finish