Title 18, Section 331: Mutilation, diminution, and falsification of coins

[James_OldeTowne]

Just because it's been referenced a few times, here's what it says:

 

Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or

 

Whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or lightened—

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

[truthteller]

When the money gets big enough, and a lot of people begin to make a stink, that's when the Feds will become involved. Checkmate, game over.

 

 

 

 

TRUTH

[Zoins]

Linky to PCGS announcement which says:

Dealer shall not “doctor” coins or knowingly submit to PCGS coins which have been "doctored". Coin “doctoring” involves the alteration of the appearance of a coin to attempt to increase its value, and may involve, among other things, adding substances to coins (such as, among other things, putty, wax, facial oils, petroleum jelly or varnish); treating coins with chemicals (such as, among other things, potash, sulfur, cyanide, iodine or bleach); heat treating coins in any way to alter their appearance; re-matting (“skinning”) proof gold; “tapping” and “spooning” ( i.e., physically moving surface metal to hide marks); filing rim nicks; or repairing coins (re-tooling metal).

Does sulfur include altering the coins via storage in sulfur containing albums and envelopes? The thread over there is locked.

[James_OldeTowne]

I tend to believe the law has virtually no impact on coin doctoring, particularly adding something to a coin's surface. Otherwise, colorized coins would be illegal. If anything, I'd guess that dipping, or any process that removes part of the coin would be more impacted by the law. But basically, I doubt if dipping and/or doctoring are really covered by the statute, and would guess that it's just a scare tactic being employed by PCGS. I don't think coin doctors are quaking in their boots over this one.

[Conder101]

Pretty close to what my copy says, Only difference is in the last line where my copy specifies that the fine will be not more than $2,000.

 

As for the coloring of coins or the toning of them the out is that once again it has to be done fraudulently. As long as I am not doing it to commit fraud there is no problem. Now if I AT'd a coin and knowing that I had AT'd it I then sold it claiming that it was not AT'd then this statute might apply IF you could prove that I did so and knowingly lied about it. A difficult thing to accomplish. (Of course if you could show where I bought the coin on ebay and then two months later I'm selling the exact same coin but not with greatly different toning and calling it original, I think you could win your case.