Got way too much time, a quarter, and a hammer?
 

http://forgedunderthemountain.com/FUTMPG3.html

jtaylor wrote:
http://forgedunderthemountain.com/FUTMPG3.html

Is it legal to do this to coinage in the US? It isn't in England,
although I did use some coins to make ends for a Van de Graaff generator
roller once, and I heard that there was some new law which permitted the
defacement of 1p coins too :-).

Chris

Christopher Tidy wrote:
jtaylor wrote:

http://forgedunderthemountain.com/FUTMPG3.html


Is it legal to do this to coinage in the US? It isn't in England,
although I did use some coins to make ends for a Van de Graaff generator
roller once, and I heard that there was some new law which permitted the
defacement of 1p coins too :-).

Chris


This has been done for many years as I had a Hi Schoold class mate whose
whole class made siver rings out of quarters when the US coin WAS
silver. (This goes back to the late '50's)

Also, Chris... there doesn't seem to be a problem when coins are defaced
here..... only when they are attempted to be re-circulated AFTER
defacing is when the treasury dept. gets upset.

For example... buying metal or even plastic plugs 5/8" in diameter cost
well over a nickel each, and a penny works wonderfully well.... at a
cost of only ONE CENT.. I use about 2-3000 a year in my mfg. business.
NPWBill in Phx.

"Christopher Tidy" wrote in message
...
http://forgedunderthemountain.com/FUTMPG3.html

Is it legal to do this to coinage in the US?

Ya. Although it is US government legal tender, it is officially your
property and you can modify it in any way you see fit. Just don't try
defrauding someone with modified coinage (this probably came from "you're
joshing me!").

Tim

--
"California is the breakfast state: fruits, nuts and flakes."
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms

"Tim Williams" wrote in message
...
"Christopher Tidy" wrote in message
...
http://forgedunderthemountain.com/FUTMPG3.html

Is it legal to do this to coinage in the US?

Ya. Although it is US government legal tender, it is officially your
property and you can modify it in any way you see fit. Just don't try
defrauding someone with modified coinage (this probably came from "you're
joshing me!").

Tim

A result of coinage value being determined by the content of precious metal.
Silver coinage was produced @ $1.29/troy ounce-----when the price was
controlled by the government, just as was gold. Gold coins were struck @
slightly over $20/ounce (I've forgotten exactly how much, but $20.67 comes
to mind), but to remove a portion of the coin and spend it afterwards was
the same as stealing real value. It is the reason coin edges were reeded,
to not allow the coin to be shaved without being obvious.

Harold

BillP wrote:
Christopher Tidy wrote:

jtaylor wrote:

http://forgedunderthemountain.com/FUTMPG3.html



Is it legal to do this to coinage in the US? It isn't in England,
although I did use some coins to make ends for a Van de Graaff
generator roller once, and I heard that there was some new law which
permitted the defacement of 1p coins too :-).

Chris


This has been done for many years as I had a Hi Schoold class mate whose
whole class made siver rings out of quarters when the US coin WAS
silver. (This goes back to the late '50's)

I "refaced" more than one relay contact with bits cut from dimes back
then. Soft soldered them onto the remains of the original contacts.

One of those partially made rings was in R.J.'s April 05 "What is it" as
No. 328 a short time ago.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

Let the record show that Christopher Tidy
wrote back on Sun, 22 May 2005 19:29:13 +0000 (UTC) in
rec.crafts.metalworking :
jtaylor wrote:
http://forgedunderthemountain.com/FUTMPG3.html

Is it legal to do this to coinage in the US? It isn't in England,
although I did use some coins to make ends for a Van de Graaff generator
roller once, and I heard that there was some new law which permitted the
defacement of 1p coins too :-).

In the States at least, you may "deface" the coins and currency, but
not in such wise as to cause someone to mistake it's value. E.g. trying to
change a $2 to look like a $20 is a bad thing. Put eye glasses and a
goatee on George's portrait, so what?

If you want to take a nickel and drill a hole in it rather than pay 7
cents for a washer - not a problem.

OTOH, I understand that in the UK, defacing the currency, because of
the portrait of the Monarch, is consider a bit more serious. Sort of how
they could justify treason charges against those who put bombs in Royal
Post boxes. Or so I've heard.

tschus
pyotr

--
Sometimes fate hits you with the Clown Hammer of Circumstance
and there's nothing to do but sit there and watch the little
birds fly around your head." - Tara Calishain, ResearchBuzz

In article ,
Christopher Tidy wrote:

jtaylor wrote:
http://forgedunderthemountain.com/FUTMPG3.html

Is it legal to do this to coinage in the US? It isn't in England,
although I did use some coins to make ends for a Van de Graaff generator
roller once, and I heard that there was some new law which permitted the
defacement of 1p coins too :-).

Chris


In the USA, the critical verbiage regarding "remodeling" coinage is
"with intent fo defraud". In other words, if you're "just dinkin'
around", and have no intention of ever trying to actually SPEND the coin
(unless you can convince somebody to let you use it at face value after
you've committed your dastardly deed against it) that you've "creatively
mangled" you're fine. Start messing about with a concept like grinding
pennies down to pass as dimes in a pay-phone or parking meter, or
simliarly fraudulent behavior, and you run afoul of the law.

--
Don Bruder - - New Email policy in effect as of Feb. 21, 2004.
Short form: I'm trashing EVERY E-mail that doesn't contain a password in the
subject unless it comes from a "whitelisted" (pre-approved by me) address.
See http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd/main/contact.html for full details.

On Tue, 24 May 2005 18:20:43 GMT, Don Bruder wrote:
In article ,
Christopher Tidy wrote:

jtaylor wrote:
http://forgedunderthemountain.com/FUTMPG3.html

Is it legal to do this to coinage in the US? It isn't in England,
although I did use some coins to make ends for a Van de Graaff generator
roller once, and I heard that there was some new law which permitted the
defacement of 1p coins too :-).

Chris


In the USA, the critical verbiage regarding "remodeling" coinage is
"with intent fo defraud". In other words, if you're "just dinkin'
around", and have no intention of ever trying to actually SPEND the coin
(unless you can convince somebody to let you use it at face value after
you've committed your dastardly deed against it) that you've "creatively
mangled" you're fine.

Good thing. I needed to put a threaded gage into the end-cap on some
3/4" copper pipe, but of course the caps are too thin to drill & tap.
So, I soldered a couple pennies (pre-1982) to the cap, one inside, one
outside, and then drilled & tapped for the 1/8" NPT threads I needed.
For two cents and a bit of solder, I saved buying a fitting that would
have cost me quite a bit more, and a trip to the hardware store.
They're a known size, weight, and composition. Lot to be said for that.

When I was stationed at Gesashi Okinawa (Coast Guard Loran Station)in
1967 to 1968 the locals used to do this with Halves and Quarters. They
would sit and pound them with a large spoon against a concrete step.
(made it hard to sleep after a mid-watch or any other watch) and then
have the DC drill them out, then finish with sandpaper.