How it works
Three steps to an archive, and three badges that each say exactly what was checked.
01
Sign up free and add your first piece — a photograph and a few details is all it takes. Period, origin, condition and provenance notes if you have them, and nothing you do not.
02
Everything is hidden by default. Make a collection or a single item public whenever you are ready, and hide it again just as easily.
03
Discover collections worldwide, ask for identifications, follow the categories you care about, and meet collectors at meet-and-greets and show-and-tell sessions — online or in person.
A badge that overclaims makes every other badge worth less, so each of ours is worded as the narrowest true thing we can say. Each one also has to be earned before the next can be asked for.
We give you a short code. You write it on a card, stand it beside the piece with a coin for scale, and photograph all three together. The code expires within the day, so the photograph can only have been taken after we issued it — with the object in front of you. It shows possession on a date. It is not a statement of ownership.
You write one claim about a piece and the reasoning behind it. Verified collectors read it and agree or disagree, and disagreeing means writing why. The claim locks the moment the first vote lands, so nobody can edit the sentence out from under the votes. It records what members think. It is not authentication.
A named specialist inspects the piece and writes up what they found; their report is attached, in full. Patina arranges the examination and charges for arranging it — the expert carries their own professional indemnity. We do not certify, verify or guarantee anything.
Cataloguing, browsing and asking the community for help are free. A Patron membership adds the trusted circle: private messages, friends, marking pieces open to sale or trade, and in-person meet-ups. Any deal itself happens privately between collectors, off Patina. What each membership includes.