A system for determining the authenticity of an object, the system comprising: a light source, for directing light toward an authentication region on said object, said authentication region forming a part of said object, said light being one of collimated and telecentric, said light impinging on said authentication region at a predetermined oblique angle relative to the normal of a plane defined by said object; an imager, comprising an imaging sensor, said imager being substantially focused on said authentication region, for acquiring at least one focused image of scattered light from said authentication region, said at least one focused image at least comprising image features related to surface feature scattering phenomena of said authentication region, said surface feature scattering phenomena being a physical texture and surface irregularities of said authentication region on said object, said image features being a speckle pattern which is a representation of said physical texture and said surface irregularities; and a processor, coupled with said imager, for determining a correspondence between at least a part of said at least one acquired image and a corresponding part of at least one stored image, said at least one stored image also corresponding to said authentication region, wherein said imager is positioned relative to said authentication region such that said light which is specularly reflected from said authentication region at said predetermined oblique angle does not impinge on said imager, thereby defining a specular reflection region; wherein at least a portion of said light which is scattered from said authentication region is received by said imager as scattered light; wherein said specular reflection region and a sensing region defined by said imaging sensor are mutually exclusive in space; wherein said processor identifies said object as authentic when said at least a part of said acquired image corresponds to said corresponding part of said at least one stored image; wherein said processor identifies said object as non-authentic when said at least a part of said acquired image does not correspond to said corresponding part of said at least one stored image; and wherein said predetermined oblique angle is determined such that at least a portion of said scattered light from said authentication region impinges upon said imaging sensor. a light source, for directing light toward an authentication region on said object, said authentication region forming a part of said object, said light being one of collimated and telecentric, said light impinging on said authentication region at a predetermined oblique angle relative to the normal of a plane defined by said object; an imager, comprising an imaging sensor, said imager being substantially focused on said authentication region, for acquiring at least one focused image of scattered light from said authentication region, said at least one focused image at least comprising image features related to surface feature scattering phenomena of said authentication region, said surface feature scattering phenomena being a physical texture and surface irregularities of said authentication region on said object, said image features being a speckle pattern which is a representation of said physical texture and said surface irregularities; and a processor, coupled with said imager, for determining a correspondence between at least a part of said at least one acquired image and a corresponding part of at least one stored image, said at least one stored image also corresponding to said authentication region, wherein said imager is positioned relative to said authentication region such that said light which is specularly reflected from said authentication region at said predetermined oblique angle does not impinge on said imager, thereby defining a specular reflection region; wherein at least a portion of said light which is scattered from said authentication region is received by said imager as scattered light; wherein said specular reflection region and a sensing region defined by said imaging sensor are mutually exclusive in space; wherein said processor identifies said object as authentic when said at least a part of said acquired image corresponds to said corresponding part of said at least one stored image; wherein said processor identifies said object as non-authentic when said at least a part of said acquired image does not correspond to said corresponding part of said at least one stored image; and wherein said predetermined oblique angle is determined such that at least a portion of said scattered light from said authentication region impinges upon said imaging sensor.