It has come to our attention that an individual who was either employed by, or associated with a current, or former employee of a print facility that we use to produce many of our trading cards, unlawfully removed “make-ready” samples from this print facility.
These samples were quality-control rejections of our Gemstone Refractor™ cards, which were repurposed to test our foil serial-number stamping die each time the press was reset to begin a new numbering sequence. This is why the samples shown have multiple impressions on them all around the front and back sides of the cards.
The print facility has strict operating procedures in place to ensure these samples are handled correctly and securely up and to the point of their destruction.
Serial-numbering occurs in a locked room with four independent cameras that monitor this space 24 hours a day. Once these make-ready samples are no longer needed, they are either cut and shredded or inserted into a secure bin to be destroyed by a nationally recognized document destruction company. With that said, the samples in question were able to be removed from the print facility by an individual who was able to circumvent these security protocols.
Make no mistake, the removal of these samples is a crime, and the person(s) involved, if identified, will be fully prosecuted by Cardsmiths and the print facility to the fullest extent of the law. An investigation is currently ongoing, and we are using all of the tools at our disposal to bring the offender to justice.
We strongly encourage members of the Cardsmiths collecting community to refrain from entering into an agreement to purchase these samples, as they are stolen intellectual property. Possession of these items is a crime and subject to confiscation by law enforcement.
In light of this security breach, Cardsmiths and senior members of the print facility and their parent company are working on improved security measures, including additional security cameras, two-signature signoffs when these samples are destroyed, and enhanced searches of employees and their personal effects before entering and exiting the premises.
Know that Cardsmiths takes the integrity of our limited-edition products very seriously, and it is our goal to ensure that breaches like this never occur again. We value the members of the collecting community and will do all that is necessary in the fight against criminals who engage in illegal activity for their own personal gain at the expense of others.
If you have any information that may assist law enforcement in identifying the individual(s) involved, please reach out to us at info@cardsmiths.com.
Thank You,
Steven Loney
CEO Cardsmiths
