Interesting History

[jtryka]

Just for fun I was perusing the Mint act of 1792 on the mint's website, and found these two sections that seemed interesting. One dealt with a sort of quality control standards involving the Chief Justice and Attorney General among others, wonder if they still do that. The other involves the penalty for knowingly debasing coins, or embezzling from the mint. Pretty interesting history, of course, unless the act has been amended or repealed, I can only assume these sections still are in effect!

 

Section 18. And the better to secure a due conformity of the said gold and silver coins to their respective standards, Be it further enacted, That from every separate mass of standard gold or silver, which shall be made into coins at the said mint, there shall be taken, set apart by the treasurer and reserved in his custody a certain number of pieces, not less -than three, and that once in every year the pieces so set apart and reserved, shall be assayed under the inspection of the Chief Justice of the United States, the Secretary and Comptroller of the Treasury, the Secretary for the department of State, and the Attorney General of the United States (who are hereby required to attend for that purpose at the said mint, on the last Monday in July in each year,) or under the inspection of any three of them, in such manner as they or a majority of them shall direct, and in the presence of the director, assayer and chief coiner of the said mint; and if it shall be found that the gold and silver so assayed shall not be inferior to their respective standards herein before declared more than one part in one hundred and forty-four parts. the officer or officers of the said mint whom it may concern shall be held excusable; but if any greater inferiority shall appear it shall be certified to the President of the United States, and the said officer or officers shall he deemed disqualified to hold their respective offices.

 

Section 19. And be it further enacted, That if any of the gold or silver coins which shall be struck or coined at the said mint shall be debased or made worse as to the proportion of the fine gold or fine silver therein contained, or shall be of less weight or value than the same out to be pursuant to the directions of this act, through the default or with the connivance of any of the officers or persons who shall be employed at the said mint, for the purpose of profit or gain, or otherwise with a fraudulent intent, and if any of the said officers or persons shall embezzle any of the metals which shall at any time be committed to their charge for the purpose of being coined, or any of the coins which shall be struck or coined at the said mint, every such officer or person who shall commit any or either of the said offenses, shall be deemed guilty of felony, and shall suffer death.

[Hoot]

Death for embezzlement of coin metals or debasement of the coinage! Whoa! Try to get THAT to stick in modern day.

 

Hoot

[keithdagen]

I wonder if those "colorized" coins on TV would count as debased?

[EVillageProwler]

No, Keith, except metaphorically... The debasement is only of metal and not of dignity.

 

EVP

 

[jtryka]

No, the colorized quarters etc. is Defacement .

[GDJMSP]

Well - they're not in effect as they were written back then. This is the current law - quite a bit different.

 

TITLE 31 > SUBTITLE IV > CHAPTER 51 > SUBCHAPTER II >

 

Sec. 5121. - Refining, assaying, and valuation of bullion

 

(a)

 

The Secretary of the Treasury shall -

 

(1)

 

melt and refine bullion;

 

(2)

 

as required, assay coins, metal, and bullion;

 

(3)

 

cast gold and silver bullion deposits into bars; and

 

(4)

 

cast alloys into bars for minting coins.

 

TITLE 31 > SUBTITLE IV > CHAPTER 51 > SUBCHAPTER II >

 

Sec. 5113. - Tolerances and testing of coins

 

(a)

 

The Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe reasonable manufacturing tolerances for specifications in section 5112 of this title (except for specifications that are limits) for the dollar, half dollar, quarter dollar, and dime coins. The weight of the 5-cent coin may vary not more than 0.194 gram. The weight of the one-cent coin may vary not more than 0.13 gram. Any gold coin issued under section 5112 of this title shall contain the full weight of gold stated on the coin.

 

(b)

 

The Secretary shall keep a record of the kind, number, and weight of each group of coins minted and test a number of the coins separately to determine if the coins conform to the weight specified in section 5112(a) of this title. If the coins tested do not conform, the Secretary -

 

(1)

 

shall weigh each coin of the group separately and deface the coins that do not conform and cast them into bars for reminting; or

 

(2)

 

may remelt the group of coins

 

 

As for the death penalty - well not any more.

[Hoot]

They've made it boring now, haven't they?

 

Hoot