Protecting Your Stuff, 1983 Edition

 In 1983 I was living in a studio apartment on Amity Street in Brooklyn. Those were the days of dirty subways, crumbling neighborhoods and enough crime to keep me on edge. Fortunately, the NYPD had its “Operation Identification” program enabling citizens to get their identity on to personal belongings. If stolen and located, they could be traced back to the rightful owner.

The identifying detail was your Social Security number, etched with an engraver in specified areas of personal property.

Over 40 years later, I marvel that I took advantage of this program, involving an identifier now guarded with great attention. Identify theft—what’s that?

The instruction form had a list of valuables, along with a table of items I marked, details about the manufacturers and serial numbers, and where I had marked the item. The sheet explained:

When this form has been completed, file it in a safe place. If any of the items listed are stolen or lost, notify the Police Department at once and show this form to the investigating officer. Information shown here will enhance our chances of recovering your property and returning to you.

My list shows what I considered property with enough value to warrant an etching. I showed admirable attention to the manufacturer and serial number. Most items were electronics. Consider:

• Camera flash, Canon 177A
• Phone answering machine, Record-a-Call
• Camera #1, Canon G-III QL
• Camera #2, Canon AE-1
• Typewriter #1, IBM Model IIc
• Typewriter #2, Royal Quiet Deluxe
• Iron, GE Light & Easy
• Photographer’s lamp, Smith-Victor (red)
• Big stand fan
• Stereo turntable, Technics 
• Stereo receiver, Kenwood
• Stereo speakers (2) Realistic
• Menorah
• Home computer, Timex 1000

This list carried such incredible importance that for over 40 years I stored it in a document folder with my birth certificate, my wills, passports and old drivers licenses. Don't you dare mess with my GE iron! Hands off my phone answering machine, which played such a crucial role in my go-go 80s lifestyle. The list lingered there for decades after it had any practical value, so I finally transferred it to a less secure document storage folder.

Security measures have evolved over the decades. Nobody puts their Social Security number on items; I hope not, anyway. AirTags are useful for tracking valuables. Approaches now are more about photographs, invoices, model numbers, safes, insurance, and home security systems. I doubt anybody etches anything at all.

All the items listed above are long gone except the menorah—some things are built to last, priceless in their own way. On its base, I can still very faintly see the magic number, along with “NYC.”