Can you deface a coin

Reproduction of designs and images without the permission of the copyright owner will be an infringement of copyright. If you do something that infringes another person's copyright, a court can order you to stop the infringing conduct and pay damages to the copyright owner. In certain circumstances the Mint may agree to allow members of the public to reproduce coin designs in which it holds copyright. The Mint will not ordinarily grant approval for the reproduction of coin designs on articles which will be commercially produced and offered for sale for example, articles such as T-shirts or coffee mugs.

The Mint will also not grant approval for the reproduction of coin designs in a manner which could lead a person to believe that the Mint has endorsed the product, or is in some way associated with the product. If you wish to reproduce coin designs you should contact the Mint. Failure to do so may result in a breach of copyright and legal action by the Mint. I hear questions and comments like these every so often after someone sees cut out coins for jewelry.

Maybe you too had assumed Cut Coin Jewelry is considered the defacing of the coin, and thus illegal to do so. Rest assured the cut coins you see here on ebay and ebay express, such as cut-coin money clips or state quarter charm pendants do not violate any U. These handsome and beautiful coins are done for a purpose — jewelry, not with intent to defraud. As a matter of policy, the U. Mint does not promote coloring, plating or altering U. This statute means that you may be violating the law if you change the appearance of the coin AND fraudulently represent it to be other than the altered coin that it is.

In the case of our Pennies from Heaven it is still a penny, an altered penny. Think of the coin smashing souvenir machines at amusement parks and museums. If it were illegal to turn a coin into art, those machines would not exist. The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky has 3 penny smashing machines, this one pictured is on the second deck of the ark. Walt Disney World has several located throughout their park and lists the locations on their website here:.

So the next time someone asks you if it is illegal to damage or deface coins you can explain what the law really means and point them to visit the U. Treasury website for all the facts about the law.

Once people catch on and start up new scrap metal businesses, there would be a financial strain on the US government to make new coins. This has actually been a common problem in history. As soon as the the materials of a coin are higher than the coin itself, people are quick to melt down and cash in.

This prevents people from offshoring the devious scrap metal business. 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.

The only coins specifically mentioned by law are the penny and the nickel. That means that quarters, dimes, etc are totally fine for you to massacre in any way you please for your nefarious projects.