Anyone ever though of engraving their name on their slabbed coins? That way if stolen, you can find them easily?
Why not just put it as the pedigree on the label, so it matches the serial number cross-referanced in the TPG's system. Otherwise your coin can just be reslabbed, and no one would ever know.
Better yet, have the TPG's start putting your name on the slab. An extra dollar, gets your name placed on the reverse side.
I think the only way to prevent someone from selling a stolen coin is to embed a tracking device into the coin. I doubt that will happen though.
If I get a group of really great coins together I think I will see if one of the grading services will pedigree it with as lofty and mighty-sounding name as possible. "The Emperor/Ascended Master/Mighty Lord Collection"
Isn't that what the TPG serial number is for? And if I am stealing coins, the first thing I am doing is cracking them out of the slab to sell them, not leaving them in.
Unless a thief is completely braindead, this is a waste of time as the coin would be out of the slab in a heartbeat.
I wonder if a grading service like PCGS with their fingerprint imaging of coins has ever been able to work with law enforcement on stolen coins, cracked out and resubmitted? The thief would likely try a different grading service, but you never know, there are many dumb thieves. As far as I know none of the half million in coins and bullion stolen in the Ascension Parish robbery have been recovered.
The "fingerprint" information generated from the Security plus scan could be used to "confirm" coins that had been broken out of the holder IF, no additional marks such as even minor scratches, dents, or any kind of physical change to the surface were added since the scan. Since it takes skill lacking in many "amateur" thiefs to safely break out coins from a slab, I think this would happen more than not. However, even if confirmed, it would take skillful lawyers to make a case based on this technique, as it doesn't have the uniqueness and long standing reputation of fingerprinting. Best to leave in general slab, and hope the thief trys to sell it as such, so it is identifiable. Record the # of slabs you have, but did not originally send in yourself, and store in safe place.
Good points. One of the biggest problems with stolen merchandise is their profitability and difficulty of tracking. Let's say a thief gets a bunch of coins and a proof Stella or similar rare coin that was certified. There are unfortunately unscrupulous dealers who will make cash offers for such rare coins unless the coin(s) is on lists of stolen merchandise that they know about. A dealer willing to trade for the Stella or make a low cash or bullion offer, may think that the seller is just unusually private, or is trying to minimize their tax exposure. If he buys it raw or in a different holder than it had been in will law enforcement be able to connect the dots? I don't think there are many examples of them successfully doing so. It takes a really high profile case, like the Julian Leidman caper where the merchandise was just too hot to fence anywhere in the U.S..
I collect coins for the fun and not the value of a particular coin.. I doubt I would ever get a coin slabbed.. and if someone needed it more than me all they have to do is ask.
I can just see a thief asking your permission to rob you blind. Then again, I can actually imagine you giving it too.
