No doubt, original paperwork from past owners is the most reliable source of amazing documentation, especially if there is no financial gain to be realized from that source. By that I mean to infer that the temptation to fraud via altering copies of original documents is less of a temptation for those who will not realize a financial gain from this illegal action. Thus, previous owners may be a better source than current owners for reliable documentation, even copies, since current sellers might be tempted to alter documentation copies in order to maximize financial gain.
Copies of just about any document can be altered by anyone proficient in software like Photoshop. So, buyer, beware, especially when dealing with photocopies of original documentation. Trust only original paperwork.
Original window stickers, Ident-O-Plates, assembly manifests are all excellent proof of provenance. Owners lucky enough to have taken possession of a 40 or 50 year old car that has been through a half dozen or more previous owners, and still retains one or more of these original papers, doesn't need PHS documentation.
Tracking down previous owners is a tedious, hound-dog process that many current owners are not willing, or too lazy, to perform. Too bad, their loss. A lot can be learned from past owners, and it is, for the most part, well worth the sometimes considerable effort to contact these persons. Even if they don't have any original paperwork. Verbal recounts can be most enlightening.
For the rest of us, when original papers simply don't exist, PHS is the only source for this “birth certificate” type documentation. At any price.
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