Coin collection guides

How to document coin provenance

Provenance is the chain of information that explains how a coin entered the collection and what evidence supports that story.

Capture the immediate source

Record the seller, auction, gift or estate context, date and lot or invoice identifier.

Attach scans or photographs of invoices, certificates, envelopes and handwritten notes without rewriting away their context.

Use phrases such as owner note, family account or unverified attribution when the evidence is incomplete.

Keep a portable report and the supporting files together so provenance survives a software or ownership change.