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 Replies: 23 / Views: 4,428 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
You will note from the laws that Alpha2814 posted that other than the clause about advertising being placed on coins, you can do pretty much anything to a coin as long as there is no intent to defraud.
Currency (paper money) on the other hand requires no intent to defraud, merely rendering it "unfit to be re-issued" is illegal.
In terms of the law, coins are NOT considered to be "currency".
Edited by Conder101
12/19/2017 11:10 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
525 Posts |
It isn't illegal to alter coins unless fraud is involved. Several years ago Pres. Obama pardoned a man who was convicted in the 1960's of filing down pennies to pass as dimes in vending machines. The man had plead guilty to "coin mutilation" and the pardon got a lot of publicity.  https://www.brianrxm.comThe Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin Coins in Movies Coins on Television
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Pillar of the Community
  United States
6514 Posts |
Thank you everyone for your input and Thank you Alpha Quote:
Title 18, section 475 for the cold hard facts.  Just so it's clear...I was asking for a friend...  |
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Moderator
 United States
188660 Posts |
Quote:
Just so it's clear...I was asking for a friend... Sure you were.   |
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Moderator
Australia
16831 Posts |
To sum up the specific instances mentioned in the OP: Obscenities/vulgarity: it is not a federal offence. There are, however, likely to be local/state laws against such things being displayed in public or sold. As a general rule, if you aren't allowed to paint it on your house, you wouldn't be allowed to stamp it onto a coin either. Political statements: this is a grey area. "Vote for Bill Smith" would clearly be advertising (and thus a federal offence), but a more general ideological statement seems to be OK. For example, this guy counterstamps nickels with generic slogans, putting words into Jefferson's mouth, and as far as I know they've never been in legal trouble for it. One interesting observation: Section 333 prohibits the mutilation of Federal Reserve notes (green seal) and National Bank Notes (brown seal) but does not cover United States Notes (red seal) or Silver Certificates (blue seal), which were issued directly by Treasury and not "by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System". Presumably, if you can get your hands on some of those old notes, you're allowed to mutilate these to your heart's content. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5241 Posts |
In case anyone wonders, those are United States laws. In Canada it is illegal to deface a current coin; intent is not part of the law. However, Canadians can deface US coins! |
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Moderator
United States
188660 Posts |
Sometimes, although very rarely, Canada gets it wrong.  You still have us beat with the large denomination coins. A stronger victory, in my opinion. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6514 Posts |
Quote:
Sometimes, although very rarely, Canada gets it wrong A moment of silence for the Canadian one cent piece... |
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Moderator
United States
188660 Posts |
Another time they got it right.  I can almost guarantee everyone they will kill their five cent coin before we do our cent.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5241 Posts |
Despite the law, I doubt very much that there are many arrests if someone smashes a coin with a hammer. I think that someone would have to have a pretty big operation for the authorities to take notice.
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Valued Member
United States
406 Posts |
The key word in the discussion is "fraudulent".
Putting a cent into one of those machines where it stretches the coin out into an oval shape as a souvenir of some place or another is certainly defacing the coin but not illegal.
On the other hand, gold-plating a Liberty Head Nickel that was issued without the word "Cents" on the reverse and then trying to pass it off as a $5 gold coin would be fraudulent and therefore illegal.
Edited by ljenkins990
12/21/2017 2:57 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Yes but the plating of the nickel was perfectly legal.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12839 Posts |
The real crime is that the United States Mint is still making cents when they have zero buying power and are thrown away, rot away, or are otherwise destroyed by the millions annually.
[/soapbox]
But to jump back on topic (sorry), I agree with most of the sentiments here. Legal or not, no one is going to care about counterstamps on a worthless piece of metal, unless, perhaps, you are "manufacturing" a rarity and trying to profit/defraud large scale.
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Moderator
United States
188660 Posts |
Quote:
The real crime is that the United States Mint is still making cents when they have zero buying power and are thrown away, rot away, or are otherwise destroyed by the millions annually. Quoted for truth.  |
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Posted 12/19/2017 2:08 pm
