# Sign Your Work

By [MightyMoose](https://paragraph.com/@mightymoose) · 2023-07-26

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    An artists signature whether that is their own unique 
    style or how they write their name has long helped 
    (at least in theory) to give assurance to collectors 
    of the authenticity of the artworks they are buying. 
    But, these signatures hold with them some trepidation 
    as they can and have been forged throughout history. 
    There have even been some famous or perhaps better 
    said imfamous forgeries as well as forgers.  
    

[https://www.thecollector.com/famous-forgers-in-art/](https://www.thecollector.com/famous-forgers-in-art/)

    of well known artists both in styles and signatures 
    over the centuries. So much so that there are 
    specialists whom are paid vast amounts of money to
    certify a work as authentic.
    

[https://artrepreneur.com/journal/authenticating-art/](https://artrepreneur.com/journal/authenticating-art/)

    However, these specialists have gotten it wrong on 
    occasion(some think many times). The forgeries are a 
    real issue, one that the traditional art market does 
    not seem to want to really admit to the extent of the 
    issue or their inability to fix the issue.
    

[https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/made-you-look-review-barry-avrich-1234913471/](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/made-you-look-review-barry-avrich-1234913471/)

    Now for a system which is estimated to have a total 
    market to be worth around 67 billion dollars, 
    and have these persistant concerns for those buying 
    would seem to be of huge concern. But, there is 
    little collectors can do apart from trying to 
    become as savy and knowledgeable personally to 
    stop this train...or could there be another way?
    
      Enter the blockchain. Cryptoart is a growing 
    market and is doing
    some incredible things for artists. Trustless-onchain 
    royalty payments being a huge advancement, which has 
    been long ignored by the art galleries and the 
    industry as a whole. But the technology is not just 
    helping the artist through royalties and creating a 
    global market which can now explore artists, it is 
    also empowering the collector.
    
    Conlan (https://twitter.com/conlan), one of the 
    founders of Async wrote a really important article 
    on hashing and how it solves secondary resale trust. 
    Find it here: https://beta.cent.co/conlan/+lx3wsh
    
    Conlan’s article points to an important innovation 
    that Cryptoart has brought to the art market. 
    Wallet signatures. With blockchain technologies 
    data hounds are finding it easier and easier to 
    create compiled information as tracking info is 
    now readily available for anyone who wants to investigate. 
    A site which is tapping into this newfound treasure 
    trove of data to help artists and collectors 
    both is RightClick 
    

[https://rc.xyz/](https://rc.xyz/)

      This is the power behind the chain and has been 
    used by such websites as Filtered.art which is allowing 
    artists to compile all their minted works into one site 
    which also gives customized filters for the artists to 
    sort their works, not just by platforms but styles and 
    types of art. Cryptoart.io is a site which compiles top 
    sales in the cryptoart space along with a valuation of 
    each artists work based on current sales records. 
    All from the data openly available on the ethereum chain.
    

      This data is readily available because artists are 
    signing their work. Not in the classic sense but in 
    the digital sense. When an artist uses their wallet 
    to sign a work as they put it on the ethereum chain 
    they are creating a traceable record which when used 
    properly creates an unforgeable record.
    

[https://www.codementor.io/@yosriady/signing-and-verifying-ethereum-signatures-vhe8ro3h6](https://www.codementor.io/@yosriady/signing-and-verifying-ethereum-signatures-vhe8ro3h6)

      As more and more collectors and new artists come 
    into the Cryptoart space the technology should be 
    highlighted and shared so that both the artist and 
    the collector understand the power of this new 
    trustless system of authentication.
    
    Considering the forgery issue which the traditional 
    art market has long been unable to solve the importance 
    of this new technology cannot be overstated. 
    When you take something as important as authentication 
    and you decentralize and automate it you take the power 
    of third parties and give it back to the artist 
    and the collector.
    
    Now, when the technology is used an artist and 
    collectors can point to the signature and as Conlan 
    pointed out the hash as proof of authenticity of 
    which cannot be forged. Data and authentication 
    secured by technology giving all parties involved 
    the peace of mind that the data doesn’t lie and thus the 
    artwork is indeed authentic. 
    
    So for you new artists coming into the space, decide 
    on the wallet you want to use and educate yourselves on 
    what method the platform you want to tokenize on uses. 
    Not all platforms support artists signing their minted 
    work with THEIR wallet. Some have a hybrid and some 
    don't even let you decide on if you want to sign with 
    your wallet or the platforms.
    
    Understanding the basics of what you are doing and the 
    power of a trustless and decentralized authenitcated 
    work sets the stage for a new paradigm in artist and 
    collector relations, but both need to know what is 
    happening so they can properly value and engage with 
    this new technology.
    
    If you are a new collector educate yourself of 
    wallet signature and hash, understand what the different 
    platforms offer and how to pass on ownership to the next 
    collector after you.
    
    Always remember. . .
      to sign your work
    

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/cee100a2685c4fcad4e05160e568fc2fab518838a445fb8b37d9ee6eb6fce596.png)

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*Originally published on [MightyMoose](https://paragraph.com/@mightymoose/sign-your-work)*