 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Carolyn
Date: 2002-03-08 21:16
What I want to know is that when people are referring to an instrument they will always list the serial number with a digit (or two) then follow it with "xxx" (example 34xxx). Is there extensive Identity Theft going around with clarinets? Why not just give the serial number?
What's wrong with listing the entire serial number - is this the wrong thing to do?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: A David Peacham
Date: 2002-03-08 22:28
As a cynic, I'll give you one possible answer.
If I bought a secondhand clarinet - or any other valuable item - and wasn't absolutely sure of its history all the way back to when it was new, I wouldn't want to publish its serial number. Why? Because if anyone could prove that it was once theirs, and had been stolen from them, they could claim it back from me.
I'm not saying that's the _only_ reason for being secretive, of course.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 2002-03-09 16:03
And some unscrupulous people will claim that serial number was their instrument and was once stolen from them even though they never, ever owned it.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken
Date: 2002-03-09 16:06
Possession is still 9/10ths of the law.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: willie
Date: 2002-03-09 23:27
Thats why not only do I have all my serial numbers jotted down, but also sales receits. Some bozo can still try to claim it as "once theirs", but paperwork can keep you out of a lot of hot water.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hobbes
Date: 2002-03-10 01:39
Carolyn,
This is a good question. I assume you are talking about clarinets on auction at eBay.
I believe Dee has the right answer. Once you divulge the full serial number, anyone can claim that it is their clarinet. However, if they are forced to identify the clarinet by knowing in advance the full serial number, than that person has a more credible claim.
This is why I believe that most sellers do not divulge the full serial number, even if they have personally purchased the clarinet brand new.
For example, suppose you find a wallet with some money and no identification in the wallet. Lets say you are very honest and turn the wallet over to the police. If someone goes to the police station to claim the lost wallet, the police are going to ask that person how much money was in the wallet. The police will not say, was yours the wallet with $1000 or $5000 in it.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Patrick Scully
Date: 2002-03-13 04:48
Carolyn,
I must disagree with many on this thread who believe that the 1234 XXX pattern for discussing serial numbers online (where the XXX blocks the actual least significant digits) is simply a way of obscuring the actual serial number for security reasons. At least, I don't think it's that simple, or that security is the only reason for doing this.
A very important reason to use this XXX notation when referring to serial numbers is that the least significant digits are...well, less significant or without any significance whatsoever to the discussion at hand. Why do you need to know my middle name for the purposes of this discussion? No reason at all. You simply need to distinguish me from other people here. Some people even use handles, especially if they think they might say something they'd regret later. Or they're actually guys that get off making people think they're girls. (And you all know who you are, don't you?)
The only reason you'd need to know the exact serial number of one of my clarinets is if you were an insurance agent, a potential buyer, or a law enforcement deputy. On the other hand, the first few digits of a musical instrument serial number can often tell an expert or a collector (or an interested colleague here on this board) all she needs to know about my instrument's manufacture.
The 123XXX notation is very common on the saxophone forums on the internet because vintage saxophones are frequently under discussion and connoisseurs know what certain serial number ranges from certain manufacturers mean in terms of quality. For example, Selmer Mark VI saxophones having an XXXXX number (five digits) are considered generally better than those having six digits; serial numbers under 5XXXX are the best of the best. See? It's the range of numbers that's important, not the exact number of a specific instrument in this context.
Is having a serial number alone enough to claim an an instrument as one's own? Sure, if you're dumb enough to do it. To the dumb go the booby prizes. If the con artist was so bold as to call the police to grab my horn having only a serial number as proof of ownership, I'd show the police genuine proof. Then, I'd let the police use my clarinet case to pack some handcuffs. Upon encountering our little criminal, they'd open up that clarinet case, and voila...another con artist behind bars! Needless to say, I can authenticate my purchases fully, but with the fraud mentioned in the posts here, this is impossible. Somebody would have to go to considerably more effort to get my horns from me on the basis of fraud.
OTOH, I would be very concerned -- almost to the point of being compelled to notify law enforcement authorities -- if I had been discussing the possible purchase of a used instrument from somebody who was very reluctant to divulge the serial number -- exactly down to the last digit -- of the instrument in question. The only reasons I can think of for such reluctance are all bad. The horn is in a bad serial number range...or, it is a hot item stolen from somebody or represented as lost to an insurance company. Obviously, there'd be no sale...the only question is whether I'd send the police instead of my money. It depends on how suspicious I was and whether I was in the mood to be an unpaid police deputy.
Patrick
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
