Warranty seal Revised Warranty Seal. 2011 or 2012? changes

[Trevor2118]

One of the CCW eagle eye readers has spotted a change to the current warranty seal. This change is obviously aimed at the "grey market" sellers who remove the bar-code from the seal. The seal now contains the bar-code number printed at various locations within the seal in very small text (not as small as the micro-printing) at 7 locations (found so far) but my seal was damaged. Alex will update the website with further images within the next few days. This number corresponds with the bar-code number.

[Lotusguy]

Cool! Thank you

[canadianbeaver]

A different label is printed for each box... Welcome to the digital printing age. No way this could have even been considered 10 years ago.

A digital reader no doubt has to apply and check them too. In Cuba?

Maybe you could include this one in your discussion too.

[celtmick1984]

Wonderful! Having read this, I went into my coolidor and pulled out a cab of AME JUN 12 PLPC; you're exactly right. There is an eighth one, however. Beneath Republica in the "Cuba" bordering, matching the one shown. Excellent catch whoever you are and thanks for spreading the word, Trevor!

[chand]

I just tried this with a SEP 12 RG Perla 5x5 missing the barcode and it worked perfectly!

[Colt45]

Interesting - thanks Trev. But I wonder why they decided to go with such small type and not something more prominent within the seal... I imagine gray market buyers won't much care - is it more of a way to dissuade gray marketeers?...

[ATGroom]

I'm trying to narrow down exactly when this was introduced... at the moment I have seen two boxes of NOV 11 with no micro-printing, and boxes ABR12, MAY12, and JUN12 all with it.

Could someone with December 11 or Jan, Feb, March 12 please let me know if your boxes have the revised seal? I imagine there was some overlap.

[LLC]

Clever idea. Well spotted.

[NMJoe]

Nice work! Thank you for the update.

[smokinpeace]

Prices headed up due to this?

[Trevor2118]

Interesting - thanks Trev. But I wonder why they decided to go with such small type and not something more prominent within the seal... I imagine gray market buyers won't much care - is it more of a way to dissuade gray marketeers?...

Hi Ross....regarding the small type size....maybe they thought no one would notice? I think its purely to dissuade grey marketeers. Now, almost the whole seal will need to be defaced.

[darkleeroy]

... I can attest that trying to read said numbers without a magnifying glass will result in a headache. Confirmed that they're on my ABR 12 boxes.

[karmaz00]

thanks for sharing

[Jszeto]

Very interesting and thanks for informing us!

[Trevor2118]

Maybe you could include this one in your discussion too.

This is the Pacific Cigar Co (distributor for Asia-Pacific) quality and authentic seal/ sticker, post 2005. Prior to 2005, this sticker was used:For full details, see:http://www.cubanciga...y_Paid_Stickers

[Trevor2118]

Nice work! Thank you for the update.

I don't see why.....the seals are individually printed already.

[canadianbeaver]

I don't see why.....the seals are individually printed already.

Are you referring to the seals (rectangular green large part) or the red/black serial numbers which are over printed afterwards on a common label?

This overprinting is no big deal, like tickets you get for a carnival. The other printing, customizing each full green label with the hidden numbers in the background, requires separate labels for each SKU (store keeping unit).

I have been a package designer for years as you can tell :-)

[MPS]

December 2011 box here.

[oliverdst]

The smaller the micro-numbers the harder to counterfeit.

If big counterfeiters want to keep on doing that they will have to buy better printers and if they have to do that they will have to spend more money and if they need to spend more money they will have their profit decreased and if their profit decreases MAYBE some of them will be out of the market.

Or something like that.

But I guess the main point at this time is that fake boxes from 2012 and from the beggining of 2013 will be easily recognized IF they didn't know that before us.

Thank's, Trevor.

[oliverdst]

My boxes from FEB and MAR 2012 have the micro-numbers.

[Trevor2118]

Are you referring to the seals (rectangular green large part) or the red/black serial numbers which are over printed afterwards on a common label?

I was thinking that the warranty seal would now have to be printed as a single run, rather than as a main printing run, and then an overprinting run.

[BonVivant]

Great find! Fascinating!

[canadianbeaver]

I was thinking that the warranty seal would now have to be printed as a single run, rather than as a main printing run, and then an overprinting run.

That would not work if each number hidden within the design was different. That is why digital printing, where the design is the same but each label changes the number within the design, no matter how complex, would be the way to go.

[mk05]

Maybe Grey's will start sending me cigars in vacuum packed bundles and save me the trouble of doing it on my own.

[zmancbr]

Thanks for the heads up. Just checked my new stock and lots of them have the new seal. Seems like everything in 2012 had it and I have a box of ERDM PCs from Sep 2011 that also has the micro printed numbers barcode seal. So the change appears to be sometime in 2011. If you need pics to verify Trevor lemme know. I'm always happy to help you guys out as I just Love CCW.