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nice try... but no cigar

A

auton0my

New Member
Joined
Feb 29, 2008
Messages
11
Quick question... having read through as many of the informational threads as I could, I couldn't find information relating to the actual serial numbers on warranty seals.

Can anyone point me in the right direction please?

The situation is that I was always under the impression that the serial numbers should be pretty much consecutive.
For example... I have a Mar 06 box with an "IT" code... but have 07 boxes with "II" codes. I also have Nov 06 boxes with "IA" codes. i would have expected a consecutive release of these in alphabetical and dated order.

If you have a link to a thread that talks about this that would be very much appreciated.

Also, I noticed that the page here on CigarPass that details box codes has been edited... and there are now omissions.
Does anyone know why items would be removed from the is list? The ones I noticed right away were the Cohiba Piramides.

Thanks guys.
 
auton0my said:
For example... I have a Mar 06 box with an "IT" code... but have 07 boxes with "II" codes. I also have Nov 06 boxes with "IA" codes. i would have expected a consecutive release of these in alphabetical and dated order.
Click to expand...

The earliest box in my own database that has an IA prefix is Aug-2006 but I also see IB prefixes from April and May of 2006 as well as Aug. All the IT prefixes I see are indeed from Mar 2006. My earliest 2007 codes are IE prom June but I also see some IN and IO prefixes.

In general terms, the earliest boxes had S/Ns starting at AA and AB in 1999 through 2000 as they started to catch up with the labels but there are quite a few seals out there that are supplied to stores to re-seal boxes that might have been opened for inspection or by a customer. I've seen current seals put on 2006 cabinets after we had inspected 3 to make up one "good" one.
There are also a number of counterfeit seals out there and those could be any prefix at all.

I would not be worried about a seal being a month or two out of "sequence" but I'd be suspicious if someone offered me a box dated 2005 that had a BF or DD prefix to the serial number.

Commander Bob
A bit anal about cigar data.
 
auton0my said:
The situation is that I was always under the impression that the serial numbers should be pretty much consecutive.
For example... I have a Mar 06 box with an "IT" code... but have 07 boxes with "II" codes. I also have Nov 06 boxes with "IA" codes. i would have expected a consecutive release of these in alphabetical and dated order.
Click to expand...
In general this is the case. However, there is so much variation across marcas and vitolas even within a factory that the two-letter prefix should only be used as a rough guide. In a word, there's a ton of overlap.

Do not let yourself be convinced that the prefix is of no informational value. It has great significance when applied judiciously and in the right context. Absent of that, it might have no meaning whatsoever.

Wilkey
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Very much appreciated.
Do you know of a thread or informational article about the topic of serial numbers?
oh, and Wilkey - any idea why the omissions on the box code list?
 
I am not aware of a definitive thread or article on the subject of serial number prefixes or numbers. There really isn't much to tell. Make sure the font is correct, the prefix is in the right range for the boxing year and away you go.

I don't know anything about the omissions in the box codes list. I did not contribute to that effort. IMO, by not presenting the serial number prefix with the box code, the utility of that list is substantially reduced. Except in rare instances of direct knowledge, it is essentially impossible to derive any meaning from the vast majority of factory codes. Only in the case where a traveler has been to a specific factory and reported seeing a specific factory code being stamped, can someone tell you with confidence what factory a code corresponds to.

There are those who would argue that the better overall quality control and consistency of production (starting with the late 2005 and early 2006 box codes) renders the factory code of little intrinsic valued even were they able to be decoded. I tend to agree with this viewpoint.

Wilkey
 
Thanks mate... it is always valuable to hear your thoughts.
I always feel I have gained a tidbit of knowledge every time you post.
 
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