Certificates and Seals in Probably Stolen: What Actually Counts
Updated · Game version 1.0
Direct answer
A certificate and a seal do two different jobs, and mixing them up is the most common appraisal error in this game. A seal is a physical state — intact or broken — and it changes what you are allowed to sell the item as. A certificate is a claim about authenticity, and it is worth nothing until it is read somewhere that matters. Before you price an item that has either, answer two questions in this order: is the seal unbroken, then is the certificate still in a place where it counts.
What a certificate actually changes
A certificate does not add value to an item by itself. What it changes is how the item is treated at the moment of sale: a certified item can be presented as verified, and a verified item does not have to survive the same scrutiny as an uncertified one.
That is the whole value of it, and it is conditional. A certificate that sits somewhere the game never reads it is decoration — it has the appearance of proof and none of the effect. This is the single point players get wrong most often, and it is why “does my certificate still count here” is the question worth asking before anything else.
The four states of a certified item
| State | What it tells a buyer | What to do before you price it |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed + certificate valid | Both forms of proof intact — the strongest position an item can be in | Price it as certified and sealed; do not open it to “check” |
| Sealed, certificate missing or void | The seal still carries the value, the certificate adds nothing | Price on the seal alone; do not price as if certified |
| Unsealed, certificate valid | Authenticity is provable, condition is not | Price on condition first, then add the certificate’s worth |
| Unsealed, certificate missing | Nothing to lean on — the item has to sell on condition alone | Price conservatively; the buyer has no reason to trust it |
Seals: why broken is worse than missing
A missing seal is an absence. A broken seal is evidence — it says someone opened this, and it says so permanently. You cannot un-break one, and a buyer reading a break will assume the worst about what was inside.
That asymmetry is what makes sealed items worth handling carefully: the moment you open one to inspect it, you have converted a sealed item into an unsealed one and destroyed the exact thing you were inspecting for. If you are buying to resell, never open a sealed item to verify it. Verify from the outside, or buy it as unsealed and price it accordingly.
The storage question
Where a certificate is kept matters only because of where the game reads it. The practical rule: treat a certificate as unvalidated until you have confirmed the storage slot counts, and keep it in the same slot you would want it in at the moment of sale. Moving it around to “organise” is how players lose the value without ever breaking anything.
Before you buy, in order
The last question is the one that catches overpayment. An item that only works because of its paperwork is an item you are paying paperwork prices for.
Three mistakes worth naming
- Opening a sealed item to verify it. You traded the value for the answer.
- Assuming a certificate is automatic value. It is value only where it is read.
- Pricing a broken seal as a small discount. A break is not a discount, it is a different item.
Where to go next
- The full appraisal sequence → how to appraise items
- Spotting a fake before the seal matters → counterfeit and relabelled items
- How condition moves the number → item condition tiers
Written against game version 1.0. Seal and certificate behaviour is checked after each patch; if the patch you are playing is newer than the version above, this page may be out of date, and we will re-check it and update the version line.