Is the counterfeiting of some U.S. coins legal ?

[carson city]

The United States Secret Service website at www.secretservice.gov indicates under the heading: Know your Money--It's the Law, Title 18. That "anyone who manufactures a counterfeit U.S. coin in any denomination above FIVE CENTS is subject to the same penalties as all other counterfeiters".

 

Does this mean if one were to counterfeit cents, half-cents two cent pieces, nickels and half dimes--the Secret Service would have no problem with them ?

[Zoins]

I'm not familiar with this but I would assume that means it's still illegal but you may be subject to different penalties.

[WoodenJefferson]

United States Code

TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

PART I - CRIMES

CHAPTER 25 - COUNTERFEITING AND FORGERY

 

Section 472. Uttering counterfeit obligations or securities

 

Whoever, with intent to defraud, passes, utters, publishes, or

sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or with like

intent brings into the United States or keeps in possession or

conceals any falsely made, forged, counterfeited, or altered

obligation or other security of the United States, shall be fined

under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.

 

This code does not distingush any monetary value, so you be the judge.

[zrlevin]

Why is Mr. Washington winking at me?

[WoodenJefferson]

He's informing you that there is a CYA Clause to counterfeiting.

[LuvToCollect]

I wouldn't take the risk even if I had the means to do so.

[Mirrored Morgan]

Now that it takes more money to produce what the penny and nickel are worth, one would go broke just trying to make a little pocket change.

[Conder101]

What they have put on their website merely paraphrases the actual law. It does not actually say what they say it does.

 

WoodenJefferson has posted the actual text of the law and as you can see it is different from what the Secret Service posted. Possibly it means that if you counterfeit cents the Secret Service doesn't consider it serious enough to be worth fooling with.