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davidcyclebackProvenance can help establish authenticity. Many would prefer a rare Fleer proof that came from the President of Fleer as opposed to one that came from a person no one heard of. Obviously the ownership is relevant to judging if it's a real proof.
A question is, would anyone on this board rather purchase a 1923 Maple Crispette Casey Stengel that was owned by Lew Lipset and that Lipset said was genuine, or a Maple Crispette Casey Stengel that was owned by someone no one ever heard of. I bet you that everyone on this board would pick the former, as the Lipset provenance would make them more sure about the authenticity. And if everyone would chose the card with the Lipset provenance, the provenance must have some financial value.
Per the above paragraph, when someone says they would never pay extra for notable provenance, I don't believe it.
Some people like celebrity ownership and would pay extra for a DiMaggio card that belonged to DiMaggio, or even belonged to Catfish Hunter.