Authenticity is ascertained by multiple methods.

Firstly, the Physical NFT tag contains data that includes the wallet address, which is like the signature of the artist, collector, museum, gallery, or auction house. The Physical NFT also contains the token id of the Digital NFT which stores the provenance and other details about the object of art or collectible.

ArtAreas.io maintains a registry of wallet addresses (akin to examining the signature or maker’s mark on a physical piece of art or collectible). We check our registry, and we check the blockchain automatically to verify authenticity. This ensures that the wallet address is from an ArtAreas.io verified source, and that the Digital NFT referenced was sold or transferred from that wallet address and is associated with the Physical NFT tag. This automatically occurs and displays a certificate of authenticity.

Secondly, a unique object ID and an RSA PGP verification key are stored in the Digital NFT’s unlockable content. These can be used to verify the matching signed object ID from the data sent by the Physical NFT tag. This is intended to be done infrequently, usually when the physical object is sold, and the seller transfers the Digital NFT to the wallet of the new owner.

To perform this verification, the new owner uses the Physical NFT to open the menu, and copy pastes from the unlockable content of the Digital NFT. This will then automatically verify that the Physical NFT and Digital NFT correspond, providing an additional certificate of authenticity.