The Standard for
Art Authentication
TrueCOA provides instant, tamper-proof certificate of authenticity verification anchored on the blockchain — with Bitcoin payment confirmation as the gold standard of proof of ownership.
Handwriting Detection Algorithms
Forgeries are sophisticated. Our authentication engine analyzes four independent biometric dimensions of every signature — making statistical replication without detection virtually impossible.
Every signature submitted to TrueCOA is processed through our proprietary multi-vector handwriting analysis engine. The system compares four measurable physical properties against our proprietary database of 200,000+ verified signature samples spanning over 200 artists, musicians, astronauts, athletes, and more. A confidence score above 95% is required to issue a certificate. Any anomalous vector triggers a mandatory expert review before certification proceeds.
Pen Pressure
Every person applies a unique and consistent force profile when writing. The algorithm maps ink density, stroke spread, and depth variation across the full signature arc. Authentic signatures show a characteristic pressure curve — heaviest at stroke initiation and tapering naturally at lift points. Forgeries betray themselves through uniform, flat pressure or erratic inconsistencies.
Biometric Vector 01
Stroke Span
Span measures the horizontal and vertical range of each stroke relative to the full signature envelope. Authentic signatures maintain a consistent proportional span across our 200,000+ verified sample database. Span compression or over-extension — common in slow forgeries or autopen outputs — is detected by comparing submissions against the artist's full verified range distribution.
Biometric Vector 02
Letter Spacing
The inter-character gap in a handwritten signature is a deeply ingrained motor habit that persists consistently across decades. The algorithm measures the distribution and variance of spacing between connected and unconnected letterforms. Tight clustering around the artist's known spacing mean signals authenticity. Outlier gaps — especially uniform spacing from machine or stencil — are flagged immediately.
Biometric Vector 03
Baseline Drift
Baseline drift describes the natural, involuntary upward or downward movement of a signature relative to the writing line. Every person has a characteristic drift pattern that is unconscious and nearly impossible to replicate deliberately. The algorithm models the drift curve and compares it against our full 200,000+ sample database using Fourier transform analysis to detect any deviation.
Biometric Vector 04The Numbers Behind TrueCOA
Since launching in 2025, TrueCOA has become the verification standard for serious art collectors, galleries, and auction platforms.
Over two thousand works authenticated since launch — across street art prints, vinyl figures, signed memorabilia, and limited edition collectibles. Every single one carries a permanent, publicly verifiable record.
No exceptions. Every TrueCOA certificate is SHA-256 hashed and anchored to the Polygon blockchain with a Bitcoin timestamp. The record is immutable — it cannot be altered, deleted, or disputed after issuance.
Our 4-vector biometric engine must return a confidence score above 95% before a certificate is issued. The model is trained on 200,000+ verified signature samples across 100+ artists. Any submission below threshold is escalated to a human expert before the COA can proceed.
We anchor every certificate across two independent blockchains: Polygon for low-cost, high-speed record storage and Bitcoin for its unmatched timestamp immutability. Two chains means two independent verification paths — neither can be forged or revised.
TrueCOA's handwriting models are trained on over 200,000 verified signature samples spanning over 200 artists, musicians, astronauts, athletes, and more — across street art, fine art, sports, music, and entertainment. This is the largest proprietary authenticated signature dataset in the collectibles authentication industry.
Pen pressure, stroke span, letter spacing, and baseline drift — analyzed simultaneously against verified exemplar databases for each artist. No competing platform analyzes all four vectors in a single pipeline. It is the deepest signature analysis available outside a forensic lab.
Every item submitted online receives an initial assessment within 48 hours for a flat $99 fee. If the submission passes initial review, it advances to full physician-grade expert analysis combined with our proprietary algorithmic engine — applied to a high-resolution version of the image we generate during the process.
Authentication You Can Prove to Anyone
Every TrueCOA certificate is confirmed across three independent verification layers — each operated by a separate, recognized authority. No single party controls all three.
Authentication confirmed across three independent systems — TrueCOA's biometric engine, ScoreDetect's blockchain infrastructure, and the Polygon public ledger. No single party controls all three. That's what makes it independently verifiable.
Biometric Signature Analysis
TrueCOA's 4-vector engine analyzes pen pressure, stroke span, letter spacing, and baseline drift against 200K+ verified samples.
ScoreDetect Blockchain Anchor
ScoreDetect's infrastructure writes the SHA-256 hash to Polygon and coordinates the Bitcoin timestamp anchor — independently of TrueCOA.
Polygon Public Ledger
The on-chain record is publicly verifiable by anyone at polygonscan.com — no login, no intermediary, no expiry. The record is permanent.
Bitcoin Timestamp
A cross-chain timestamp anchored on Bitcoin proves the Polygon record existed at a specific moment — the most immutable timestamp available.
Collectors Who Found Out the Hard Way
Not every story starts with a purchase. Some start with a discovery. These are the voices that built TrueCOA's community.
I paid $2,400 for what I thought was a hand-signed Shepard Fairey print. Three years later, a dealer told me it was autopen. No refund, no recourse. When I found TrueCOA, I submitted two other pieces from the same seller. Both failed the pressure analysis. I wish this had existed before my first purchase.
I'm a software engineer and I was skeptical of any authentication service that claimed AI could catch forgeries. Then I read TrueCOA's Fourier transform baseline drift methodology. That's not marketing — that's actual forensic science. The dual-chain anchoring architecture is also genuinely well-designed. I started using it for my own collection after reading the technical docs.
I bought a KAWS Companion on eBay for $800. The seller had a COA PDF — looked official, had a watermark, everything. TrueCOA's verification came back invalid within minutes. The COA ID didn't exist in any blockchain registry. I filed a dispute and got my money back. The QR verification step is now the first thing I check before I buy anything.
From a gallery operations perspective, this is the first authentication infrastructure that actually scales. We issue roughly 300 COAs per month. The API integration was clean — we had it connected to our Shopify backend in two days. Our return rate on authentication disputes dropped to zero in the first quarter after deployment.
I inherited a collection from my father that included what was supposed to be a signed Death NYC print. The estate valuation was partly based on it. TrueCOA's analysis flagged inconsistent baseline drift against the verified exemplar database. It saved us from overstating the estate value by nearly $6,000 and a potential legal problem with the IRS.
I've worked in blockchain infrastructure for six years. The decision to use Polygon for record storage and Bitcoin for timestamp anchoring is architecturally correct — you get the cost efficiency of a modern L2 with the settlement finality of the oldest, most secure chain in existence. Most authentication startups get this wrong. TrueCOA got it right.
Understanding the Technology Behind TrueCOA
Authentication is only as trustworthy as the infrastructure it sits on. Here's a plain-language guide to the building blocks — blockchain, Polygon, NFTs, ScoreDirect, and the full process from submission to verified COA.
What Is a Blockchain?
Think of it like a Google Doc that everyone can read but nobody can edit — and every change is stamped with a permanent timestamp that can never be erased.
Can't Be Changed. Ever.
Once something is written to a blockchain, nobody can delete it, edit it, or fake it — not even the company that wrote it. TrueCOA can't alter a COA once it's on-chain. That's the point.
No Single Owner
Regular companies store your data on their own servers. If they get hacked or shut down — it's gone. A blockchain lives on thousands of computers at once. There's no "off" switch.
Anyone Can Check It
Every TrueCOA record has a public address — like a tracking number — that anyone in the world can look up for free using a site called PolygonScan. No login. No fee. Just copy and paste.
When we authenticate a piece, we run the full certificate through a fingerprinting algorithm (SHA-256) that produces a unique 64-character code. That code — not the document itself — gets written to the blockchain. If anyone changes even one letter of the COA later, the fingerprint won't match. Forgery detected instantly.
What Is Polygon?
Polygon is the specific blockchain TrueCOA uses to store COA records. Think of it like choosing FedEx over USPS — same job, but faster and cheaper at scale.
Used by Real Companies
Polygon isn't experimental. Starbucks, Mastercard, JPMorgan, Disney, and Nike all use it for legitimate business applications. It's one of the most battle-tested blockchains in existence.
Anchored to Ethereum
Polygon periodically "checkpoints" back to Ethereum — so TrueCOA records get Polygon's speed and Ethereum's security at the same time. The best of both.
You Don't Need Crypto
Polygon has a token called POL (formerly MATIC). You don't need to own any of it. You don't need a crypto wallet. You just need the COA ID to verify a record — that's it.
Bitcoin is the most secure blockchain ever made — so TrueCOA uses it as a timestamp anchor. But Bitcoin wasn't designed to store detailed records cheaply. Polygon was. We use both: Polygon stores the full certificate, Bitcoin stamps the exact moment it existed. Two chains. Two independent proofs.
What Is an NFT?
NFT = Non-Fungible Token. Forget the hype. Strip it down: an NFT is just a unique digital receipt on a blockchain that proves you own something specific.
A $10 bill. Every $10 bill is identical and interchangeable. Doesn't matter which one you have.
A signed Shepard Fairey print #142 of 500. There is only one. Not interchangeable with anything.
Provenance on Autopilot
When an NFT changes hands, the blockchain logs it automatically. Years from now, a buyer can see the full ownership history — every previous owner, every sale date — without asking anyone.
Works for Physical Art Too
An NFT doesn't have to be for a digital image. A physical KAWS figure or signed jersey can be linked to an NFT. The token is the proof-of-ownership record — the item ships, the token transfers.
Paper COAs Are Fakeable
Anyone with a printer can make a fake paper COA. An NFT record is unique — there is only one, and its full history is public. The structural forgery problem with paper is impossible on-chain.
Who Is ScoreDetect?
ScoreDetect is the engine under the hood. TrueCOA handles the authentication — ScoreDetect handles the actual writing to the blockchain and the Bitcoin timestamp. Think of us as the doctor, them as the operating room.
Last Check Before Chain
Our AI-driven 4-vector biometric engine analyzes pen pressure, stroke span, letter spacing, and baseline drift against 200,000+ verified signature samples — catching forgeries invisible to the naked eye.
Bitcoin Timestamp Manager
ScoreDetect handles the Bitcoin anchor — embedding a reference to the Polygon record into a Bitcoin transaction. This creates a cross-chain timestamp that proves your COA existed at that exact moment in history.
Why We're Telling You This
Most companies hide their infrastructure. We don't. Full transparency means you can independently verify every layer of how a TrueCOA record is created — including who operates the blockchain nodes.
The Full Process — Step by Step
From the moment you submit an item to the moment a buyer verifies it years later. Every step, nothing hidden.
You Submit the Item
Upload high-res photos of the item — front, back, signature close-up — plus metadata (artist, title, edition, medium). Done via the TrueCOA portal. No need to mail anything yet.
Stage 01 — Initial Assessment $99
Our team evaluates the submission within 48 hours. Written pass/fail with detailed reasoning. The $99 is credited toward Stage 02 if you advance.
Stage 02 — Full Authentication $500
Item is mailed to TrueCOA. AI runs 4-vector biometric analysis simultaneously with a human forensic expert. Confidence must hit 95%+ to proceed. Anything lower goes to mandatory second review.
Certificate Data Assembled
Full COA package built: artist, title, edition, medium, dimensions, signature status, condition, date, confidence score. Unique ID assigned in format TC-YYYY-[ARTIST]-[SERIAL].
SHA-256 Fingerprint Generated
The certificate data is run through a hashing algorithm — like a fingerprint machine for documents. Output: a unique 64-character code. Change one character in the COA later and the fingerprint won't match. That's how forgery gets caught.
SHA-256(COA data) → 0x7f3a9d2c18e4b56f0a31d7c29e8f...Written to Polygon Blockchain
Via ScoreDetect, the fingerprint is submitted to the Polygon network. Confirmed in seconds. Assigned a permanent transaction hash and block number. Now stored across thousands of independent nodes — permanently.
Bitcoin Timestamp Anchored
ScoreDetect embeds a reference to the Polygon TX into a Bitcoin transaction. This creates a cross-chain timestamp — proof that the Polygon record existed at that exact moment in Bitcoin's unalterable history.
PDF + QR Code Delivered
Final certificate PDF generated with all metadata, both TX hashes, confidence score, and a QR code linking to the public verification page. Delivered to seller and buyer. Item returned via insured shipping.
TC-2025-SF-00420x7f3a...e0d ↗3FZbgi...Zc5 ↗97.4% — Verified Any Buyer Can Verify — Forever
Scan the QR code or enter the COA ID at truecoa.com. The full record displays — artwork details, Polygon link, Bitcoin confirmation. This record exists permanently — it will still be verifiable long after TrueCOA itself exists.
Common Questions
Everything you need to know before submitting your first item.
Built for Collectors. Trusted by Galleries.
TrueCOA was founded in 2025 to bring cryptographic certainty to art authentication. We serve galleries, eBay sellers, auction houses, and private collectors who need verification that holds up anywhere in the world.
What We Authenticate
Street art prints, signed collectibles, limited editions, vinyl figures, music memorabilia, and sports collectibles.
Authenticated
Physical COA + 4-vector handwriting analysis + SHA-256 hash + Polygon blockchain record + Bitcoin anchor transaction.
For Galleries & Sellers
Issue TrueCOA certificates for your inventory. Every buyer gets a permanent, publicly verifiable record of their purchase.