What is the purpose of having serial numbers on bars if they are not traceable. Mints don't seem to even post cross references of the serial number and the year that it was manufactured. Am I missing something?
I don't think serial numbers are there so they are traceable, although they can be. They are mainly there for mintage count, prestige and fun I think.
If the bar stolen and any member knows its stolen at least here on ss you could be deterred to buy that bar. It saves you a further waste of time, money, reputation, headache... Therefore it might be better to buy bars without serial numbers? Maybe, maybe not.
You would think that if a mint goes to the trouble of putting serial numbers on bars that they could at least have references in their website to post the date it was manufactured. This could create more interest in their bars.
The private mints that make bars with serial numbers generally produce so many individual bars they would run out of space on the bar if each bar had a unique number. The idea of PMs in part is anonymity and such. What you propose goes against that. People need to keep track of and protect their stash as if it was a stash of cash money, etc. I would say to think of it like dollar bills, etc. Do you keep track of all the serial numbers on your dollar bills (or whatever currency you use?). Jim
I am not proposing that serial numbers on bars are tracked to individuals. I just think it would be neat to be able to look online and see what date my silver bar was manufactured. Government bullion coins have dates on them which keeps collectors and stackers interested. Dates can often determine the price of a coin, whether it is bullion or numismatic. Many people sell bars as "very old" and expect a higher premium. How "old" is "old" ? It would be interesting to know that the bar was minted in 1920 which may entice a higher premium. The first mint to do this would likely generate more interest, and more sales, for their brand of bar. The other option is to stamp the date on the bar but it wouldn't generate as much curiosity as having to go online and checking for yourself. I guess I'm thinking from a marketing perspective.
