Highwaymen Certificates of Authenticity

As you probably know, the main purpose of these Certificates of Authenticity is to help protect collectors from the forged paintings and fake signatures that dot the Florida landscape art market, and specifically highwaymen art by the more valuable artists in the group.

I am usually able to determine attributions to the artist for unsigned pieces, although sometimes it can be difficult considering the similarities in style of many of them.

The toughest unsigned attributions are differentiating between the three sets of brothers in the group of twenty-six.
(I know, I know, they're all "brothers". I'm talking blood brothers.)
Ellis and George Buckner. Willie and Johnnie Daniels. Sam and Harold Newton.

If I am personally unsure, I'll simply reach out to Geoff Cook or various experienced collectors whose knowledge and experience within the genre I respect.

That said, I have been seeing more and more Certificates being used as sales tools in auctions such as eBay and Craig's List, etc.

Here are the two latest examples, while they last, for you to peruse.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Highwaymen-Painting-McLendon-Unsigned-w-Cert-Auth-/220673594868?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item33612bd5f4

The orange fire sky McLendon, to me, is a "no-brainer". I've certainly seen and studied over a hundred similar pieces and in fact used one for a calendar page in the (now rare) 2004 Highwaymen Calendar.


http://cgi.ebay.com/Highwaymen-Painting-W-Daniels-Unsigned-w-Cert-Auth-/220673594872?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item33612bd5f8

The yellow one is more difficult and could possibly be McLendon as well.

On the money side of these Certificates, knowing their true liquid market value as well as how much one should insure these works of art for, well, that couldn't hurt.