I have seen quite a few people post slabs with serial numbers blacked out. Not really sure why.What are they trying to hide? Are they trying to protect themselves for some reason? Is this something that i should do? Someone please enlighten me!!
Some people use slab numbers to boost themselves on the registries without owning the coins. If no one tries to post the same serial number, they get away with it. The Chinese steal serial numbers to use on their counterfeit slabs.
I completely understand the reasoning, but it defeats the entire purpose when selling a coin (so the buyer knows it's legit). If there are good photos of the coin in question and there are true views on the TPG's website, should be able to compare the two. No two coins are exactly alike, the imperfections are unique. The worst thing I've seen lately was a scam seller using another seller's slab photos, then when called to the carpet, tried to claim it was "a stock photo". (a PCGS MS66) eBay quickly poofed that seller. Mind you, this same seller had a 1965 clad Washington quarter that looked like it had been run over on a railroad track, and was selling it for $1500.
I understand these reasons, but one can easily go to Heritage or GC or any other auction website and get all the cert numbers you want. Perhaps some people think the cert# could be used to track down where they live for burglary? But that doesn't make sense either, because if someone hacked into PCGS or NGC to get your address from a cert#, they could steal everyone's addresses. Maybe it just falls under "you can't be too careful."
Generally, it’s a good security measure to not post pics of slabs you own with numbers visible. I generally don’t post pics of coins I own that way. But rather than black-out the label, crop the slab photo so only the coin is in the pic. This also eliminates the grade. There are all sorts of ways posting the slab label online could bite you. In some cases, it could lead to personal information about you … your real name, where you live, your registry name (which can lead to info on the extent of your collection), how much you paid for the coin, when and where you bought it, etc. Say you bought a slab online via eBay. The seller knows the cert. no., your name, address, how much you paid, your contact info, how you paid, and maybe more. Then you post a pic of the slab with the label visible in an online forum, and you’ve posted pics of a number of your other coins previously and since. The eBay seller, maybe their family, friends, employees, hackers, etc. have access to your info and now know other coins you own. Might make you a target. Cal
But that shady ebay seller already knows that you bought that coin and probably have many others. You think they're tracking you down online to see what else you own? How would posting an image of a cert# you bought from them help them do that? It's OK to adopt "better safe than sorry" but in this case I fail to grasp the logic behind it. Somebody you bought from already knows you have a coin collection. Somebody else who can take the cert# and look up your info by having hacked into a database can just target people from that database.
If a seller has sold a buyer a single coin just once, they have no idea about your collection or even if you are a collector. Folks sometimes just buy one coin or they’re buying it as a gift. But there are techniques that can be a starting point for further investigation. It’s possible to search images on a website for text data, like cert. nos., using OCR techniques. Or they can just do regular image searching. So, if someone, like an eBay seller or associates, knows you have a coin with a particular cert. no., they can search coin forums and other websites for the cert. no. Once they find it, they’ll have your ID on the forum and see other coins you have posted. Then they can decide if they want to go further. Why risk it? It’s pretty easy to post pics of coins in slabs without revealing label info. Cal
I have seen serial numbers blacked out but the barcode still showing. If you scan the barcode you will get the information It is hilarious when they ask "How did you find out the serial number?" I've done it a few times here on CoinTalk
It just seems like a lot of work for a thief to go through when they have no idea whether you still own the coins, or if they're stored in a bank or in a safe, etc. How are they going to find out exactly where you live from posts online? If they can do that anyway, and they know you have a collection, I still fail to see how posting a cert# leads them straight to your house and not everything else a person has posted online. Blacking them out is your choice of course. When someone is selling a coin, that's a whole other thing. I'll skip right over it if they've blacked out the cert or barcode.
The example I gave was an eBay seller. They know who you are because they (seller or associates) mailed you the one coin and know the cert. no. of that coin. Using the cert. no., they can now track you online in forums and perhaps find out what else you own. However, there are other ways your name and info can be associated with a particular cert. no. Cal
If more people used their energy for something useful other than scams, they'd be more successful in life. There are no end to scammers and coin scammers are just the tip of the evil iceberg.
At least twice a month I get a text to my cell number. Never a number to call. Never a number to text except to make your past due payment. Usually a small amount, $20 or less but always for the same thing, my E-Z Pass account. The thing is I don’t have an account, never did and I never will, and I don’t drive on toll roads. I despise paying to drive on a road that my tax dollars built.
I have come across photos of my own coins, taken by me, being used on ebay. I guess they snag them off of the coin forums. It's crazy the things people do.
