Understanding the technologies of trust
collIDe is a consulting firm focused on insight and understanding of the physical and digital technologies for anti-counterfeiting and authentication of currency, identification documents and brand protection, and the companies that serve these markets. we also examine the emerging mobile alternatives for payments, identification and product authentication
collIDe also provides representation services to select providers of secure materials and technologies
I've been doing some thinking and research about the future of Cash, since this is a subject which seems to be on a lot of people's minds. For a variety of reasons, those who work in the cash production industry at times seem to be worried that cash may be going away, to be replaced either by card based payments or the smartphone, or a crypto-currency.
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I was visiting our local history museum in Hood River this weekend, and had a nice flashback to an earlier time.
Before there were holograms for security, there had to be a way to reproduce them reliably. That way turned out to be micro embossing. But there was micro embossing well before there were embossed holograms. And the things it was used for lead to the photos below.
The Diffraction Company, originally based in Towson, MD was embossing ruled diffraction patterns and making labels and other materials for years before the advent of embossed holograms. One of their biggest customers pre-hologram was Luhr-Jensen, the fishing lure company which was started and grew here in Hood River until it was sold in 2006.
Diffco was a pioneer in getting the embossed hologram industry started. Many of the Diffco employees continue to work for OpSec, which acquired the company in 1995.
Ruled diffraction patterns on Luhr-Jensen lures.