04-21-2003, 10:37 AM
I think this may not necessarily be a good idea. A serial number is only one of a wide variety of hints that indicate that an award is genuine or not.
I am not trying to reopen another discussion here about publishing information vs keeping it confidential, but I believe this serial number only approach may actually create more aggravation for us collectors than anything else.
Just imagine that you own a perfectly genuine order or medal that is not necessarily worth getting a PMD certificate for (I am not talking here about the rarefied atmosphere of the top level ones). Then, one day, the serial number of YOUR genuine order or medal is published here. What are you to do? Get a $70 certificate from Paul, or be stuck for the rest of your natural life trying to convince everybody around that your order/medal happens to be the genuine one, not the fake everybody else has heard of.
If we are to publish such information about fakes, it should be comprehensive, not just bits and pieces that can lead to even more confusion in the collecting fraternity. And to make mine one of the arguments that were opposed to my views in the aforementioned thread, publishing serial numbers will only help fakers as they simply will change the one they are using. By the way, this will indeed be much easier and no trouble for them to do than to alter the dies or molds they use.
Once again, just my point of view.
Marc
I am not trying to reopen another discussion here about publishing information vs keeping it confidential, but I believe this serial number only approach may actually create more aggravation for us collectors than anything else.
Just imagine that you own a perfectly genuine order or medal that is not necessarily worth getting a PMD certificate for (I am not talking here about the rarefied atmosphere of the top level ones). Then, one day, the serial number of YOUR genuine order or medal is published here. What are you to do? Get a $70 certificate from Paul, or be stuck for the rest of your natural life trying to convince everybody around that your order/medal happens to be the genuine one, not the fake everybody else has heard of.
If we are to publish such information about fakes, it should be comprehensive, not just bits and pieces that can lead to even more confusion in the collecting fraternity. And to make mine one of the arguments that were opposed to my views in the aforementioned thread, publishing serial numbers will only help fakers as they simply will change the one they are using. By the way, this will indeed be much easier and no trouble for them to do than to alter the dies or molds they use.
Once again, just my point of view.
Marc
