How verification works

When an owner adds a slab, we give them a one-time code. They photograph the slab, front and back, with that code written on paper beside it, so the photos cannot be old ones or someone else's.

A moderator then compares the photos with the grader, grade and certification number the owner entered, and with the grader's own record of that certificate. Only then is the slab marked verified and counted on its atlas page.

Verification is about who holds a slab, not about the coin or card inside it. Authenticity and grade are the grader's work: PCGS, NGC, PSA, CGC, BGS or SGC. We do not re-grade or authenticate items ourselves.

A slab can change hands after it was verified. That is why owners confirm regularly that they still hold it (see below), and why every deal is arranged by our concierge rather than directly between strangers.

Every few months we ask each owner to confirm, with one tap, that they still hold each verified slab. If they do not answer, we remind them, and after two weeks more the slab is marked dormant: it stops counting, and offers on it close.

An owner who sells or gives away a slab can release it from their vault at any time. Released and dormant slabs keep their place in the item's history, without the owner's name.

Public pages only ever show counts: how many verified examples of an item there are, and how many hunters are looking. Certification numbers are shown only partly, and location and camera data are removed from every photo before anyone sees it.

Hunters never see an owner's name, and owners never see a hunter's name, until both agree to a deal. An owner's silent ask is never shown to anyone, and nothing a hunter sees changes depending on whether their offer reached it.

An offer is binding once it is accepted. From that moment our concierge contacts both of you by email, checks the details and arranges payment and insured shipping. The slab only moves to the buyer once the deal is complete.

Known Atlas does not hold buyers' money. Payment goes directly to the seller or through a regulated partner, following the steps our concierge sends you.

Most fraud in collecting starts with a message that moves the conversation somewhere else. A few rules protect you:

If someone claims a slab that is already verified to another member, both of them are asked for fresh photos with a new code, and a moderator decides. The current owner has a week to answer; offers on the slab pause until it is settled.

If a deal does not go as agreed, or you see something suspicious, write to info@knownatlas.com and a person will reply within one working day.