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67 mark vi tenor

2K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Dave Dolson 
#1 ·
#3 ·
I'm guessing that in those intervening years, the horn's appearance could have been drastically changed - dents, lacquer, unique markings all potentially inconsequential. What matters is the serial number - and yes, serial numbers can be altered, but that will only mean the horn may not ever be returned to its rightful owner. However, an altered serial number (as has been discussed on SOTW MANY times) will most likely result in the current owner being deprived of future ownership. DAVE
 
#5 ·
However, an altered serial number (as has been discussed on SOTW MANY times) will most likely result in the current owner being deprived of future ownership. DAVE
DAMN RIGHT! If you did not transfer ownership then title stays with you. (...I know a few people onto whose foreheads I would like to tattoo that particular law). It is still your horn legally in every possible way. No loopholes. Keep all photos, receipts etc etc etc, anything that can substantiate it as yours, it might even be possible to identify it even if it has been changed a lot.
 
#6 ·
Just to refresh readers' minds, especially those relatively new to SOTW, when a police report is made (again, especially in the USA), and a stolen item's serial number is in that police report (or supplemental reports filed by detectives), the serial number is entered into a nation-wide stolen property data base (NCIC). The existence of a police report should be sufficient to prove ownership of the stolen item - in this case, musical instruments. And yes, there can be exceptions but the general rule is as I've written.

Only if there is an insurance payoff does the ownership of the stolen item revert to the insurance company or another person - thus the owner/victim would have no more interest in the stolen item other than to be a witness in court, if necessary. Otherwise the victim retains ownership.

OTHER markings or damage are usually insufficient to identify a suspicious item as having been stolen. I've seen recovered stolen items with a person's name engraved on it or a driver license number and sometimes that info can lead to finding the victim. There is no data base that queries dents or other abnormal issues with a saxophone. Only the serial number is useful. And, yes there are exceptions to that as well - I am stating the general practices.

So how it often works is that an item is stolen, the serial number is reported to police, and the case goes dormant unless there are leads to be followed. Some time after the fact, the stolen item may turn up in a pawn shop or secondhand store, the trunk of a vehicle, or in someone's home. The police become involved in an unrelated matter at a location and they come across the stolen item, check the serial number through NCIC, and the recovery occurs. The person in possession of the stolen item may or may not be charged with the crime, or another crime known as Receiving Stolen Property (RSP), depending on the circumstances of the recovery.

Detectives assigned to the case try to contact the original victim and the property may be returned, either immediately OR after a criminal trial. If there is an insurance payoff, that will be reported to the police agency responsible for the case and the recovered stolen property will be released to the insurance company or other party with an ownership interest.

OR, the victim scours second-stores and comes across his own stolen property. In those cases, most second-dealers must give back the merchandise and take the loss. Just because they may have bought it from a thief or a fence doesn't mean they really own it. Many a victim has been intimidated into buying back their property but in most jurisdictions, they'd lose their second-dealer's license or be charged with RSP if they tried that.

With altered serial numbers - 1) it usually is a crime in most places to possess property with altered or obliterated serial numbers, so regardless of whether the item can be identified as reported stolen property or not, the mere possession is the crime; and 2) if the original serial number cannot be seen or developed, it is likely that the crime report will not be located unless the involved officers have personal knowledge of the original crime.

An altered serial number usually cannot be checked in NCIC. So, the victim will most likely not get the stolen item returned, but the one who had it last will probably be charged with the crime of possessing property with an altered or obliterated serial number.

And yes, there are exceptions just like with most everything in life. I could cite many war-stories about actual experiences with these issues to illustrate my claims.

Bottom line? Record the serial numbers on your property, take photos of your property, make a police report in the jurisdiction where the theft (loss) occurred, and have the serial numbers handy when the original police report is made. If you are motivated to do so, conduct your own investigation. Without leads, the police will most likely not follow up on the crime - they are busy and use case-screening models to determine whether or not a crime report is investigated. DAVE
 
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