Holographic material must be warranted in perpetuity without reservation (Sellers must  offer a 100% guarantee to refund the purchase price upon discovery of a non-authentic signature with no time limit).  This rule is necessary because of the proliferation of forged signatures on the internet.  Some authorities claim 70 to 90 per cent of the autographed material for sale online is forged.  Any seller who refuses to refund the purchase price of an item that is determined to be counterfeit by a recognized authority will be permanently banned from Children's Book Market.

Any book declared to be Signed (or Autographed)  must contain an image of the signature OR a statement of provenance or lack thereof.  Statements should include all relevant information available to the seller.

• A statement of where the autographed item was obtained and declaration of authenticity, i.e., "Signed in my presence at _______ on 3/14/97", or "Purchased at ______ bookstore in 1968 - Compares well to vetted signature on webpage ______", or "Purchased from ______ book dealer in May 1998."
• If the autograph authenticity is unknown, simply state any relevant details that may help the prospective buyer determine the authenticity of the signature; i.e.,  "Purchased at a library sale, no online reference found to compare it to" or "Purchased at a garage sale, could not find an online reference to compare it to, but author lives in a neighboring community", “Do not know where it was obtained, compares well to signature found at ______website".
• A complete "Lack Thereof" statement is also acceptable; i.e.,  "I don't know where this book was obtained and I cannot find any online reference to compare it to."

Additionally, if sellers don't know the provenance of the signature on their item, they must make an attempt to authenticate the signature's authenticity by comparing it to an authentic signature (there are many online reference sites that offer vetted signature for comparison).  Because of the proliferation of "light box" traced signatures sold as "autographed" on other websites (where there is no accountability) we require sellers to make a statement concerning knowledge of the authenticity of the autograph claimed.  If they don't know the provenance, this must be stated. If no reference can be found, this must also be stated.