Do you think this is an early theft prevention device?

[DDTJRAC]

Hello scientists, engineers, physicists and deep thinkers! I developed a technique to deal with moldy books / paper. I run the Peoples' Archive and acquire a good deal of moldy things. Some of it is so bad I don't even want to handle it to scan it. Yet some of it is still important material and has to be scanned before being trashed. (Or sold if it is valuable.) The technique I developed is to microwave it. But it is more involved than just sticking it in the microwave. (If interested let me know and I will post my blog link.) It is not hard to do, but there is a recipe I developed over the years.

Anyway, I had noticed some scorching on magazines with staples in them once in a while. But the magazine below caught fire in the microwave. I heard a pop and saw the cover was on fire. Further examination showed the page behind the cover had a skinny metal strip taped to the page. The magazine was being microwaved for 30 seconds or less.

Do you think this metal is an early theft prevention device?

The magazine is of an adult nature and dates from late 1980s to early 1990s as my best guess. If it is a theft prevention device, I didn't think they had this type of tech that early.

(photos removed)

Metal on inner page that caused fire in the microwave.

Thanks!

 

[jedishrfu]

Yes, it is likely an anti-theft device.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-hidden-acoustics-and-physics-behind-anti-shoplifting-tags/

Some history on loss-prevention technology:

https://losspreventionmedia.com/the-improbable-history-of-the-ink-tag/