provenance-and-chain-of-custody

name	provenance-and-chain-of-custody
description	Use when establishing or evaluating a card's ownership history. Provenance adds 10-30% to high-value cards.

Provenance and Chain of Custody

Documented provenance (auction history, dealer letters, photo of original owner) adds premium and reduces fraud risk.

Provenance documentation

Strong provenance includes:

1. Original purchase receipt or auction lot record
2. Letter from previous owner with photo
3. Auction house catalog appearance
4. Photograph in original collection
5. Documented chain (Owner A → Owner B → ...)

Premium per provenance tier

• No provenance: baseline
• Single owner since manufacture (rare): +20-40%
• Famous collection origin (Mike Gidwitz, Marshall Fogel, Charles Bronson): +15-30%
• Auction history at major house (Heritage, REA, Lelands): +10-20%

Counter-fraud benefit

Provenance documentation:

• Reduces fraud risk (counterfeiters can't fake old auction records)
• Speeds authentication
• Establishes value floor
• Required by some premium auction houses

Where this fits in the X3 empire

Listing tool surfaces provenance documentation as a value-add prompt.