Quote from: htspringer on January 23, 2014, 02:05:14 AM

Quote from: smoothie on January 23, 2014, 01:37:40 AM

Quote from: htspringer on January 23, 2014, 12:57:28 AM

Quote from: smoothie on January 21, 2014, 11:33:42 PM

Not sure if I would ever claim that something is "Tamper-proof" as nothing is tamper-proof if attackers are given enough time and resources to find ways around security mechanisms.

Other than that this is an interesting concept/project.

There are certainly levels of tamper-resistance, and I think these coins appear far more tamper resistant than any other physical bitcoins out there.
First, if the cases cannot be entered without breaking them, then the crook must somehow manufacture his own identical cases... That is, to say the least, an expensive proposition.
Second, if entering the case destroys the hologram and the signature and the hologram, then two additional barriers are introduced.
Third, the coins themselves are of moderately complex design...and would be far more difficult to counterfeit than most physical bitcoins.
Finally, even if a thief successfully counterfeited a case, Alitin Mint claims to have a proprietary cipher system in place where they can verify if a case is legitimate.

The only other physical bitcoin out there that appears this secure seems to be titan bitcoin. The only drawback is that [it is my understanding] you have to concede actual ownership of the bitcoins to a third party until they are redeemed.

Keep in mind that there are other methods of "gaining access" to something without actually opening the container. Ever heard of ultrasound as one simple example?

Your second point I am not sure I follow. You say "if" but I'm not sure I read that that is what happens when opening the case.

Your third point is concerning counterfeit coins. Tampering and counterfeiting coins are two separate topics.

Your last point are just claims. I'm not saying any of the claims aren't true, but until it has been proven to be true as in the claim about the case being "tamper-proof" and the comment the radiologist made concerning current technology, are simply just that, claims without proof publicly given.

Hopefully someone can give these coins a test to different tampering mechanisms to prove or disprove said claims. As I've said, talk is cheap.

My second point... You are correct... I'm supposing that you can't enter the case without destroying the hologram and signature.

I think it's up to a skeptic to prove that something is out there that can image an etched engraving on metal. I can tell you that I am almost certain that no conventional medical imaging equipment could obtain an engraved private key off of a silver coin. In the first place, metal interferes with CT and MRI imaging. Secondly, the engraving is on a curved surface, so any imaging would require thousands of slices. Thirdly, no medical imaging devices are even close to that precise as far as resolution is concerned. If you are aware of any device that could achieve such resolution, I would be interested to know what it is and how expensive it would be.

You make very valid points here. I still am a big believer if an attacker is given enough resources and time any security feature will break. This debunks the claim of tamper-proof in my view.

I am very curious to see these coins be tested especially the casing. Very exciting stuff.