Selling fakes whilst in circulation

[andysmee]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and enjoying reading back through some of the threads on here but thought I would ask this one outright as it interests me...

 

When it comes to fake coins that are fakes of coins still in circulation e.g. pound coins, is it legal to sell them? I'm collecting what passes through my pocket and just wondering if there is a market in them or whether they are an elicit curiosity

 

Cheers

 

Andy

[bobh]

When it comes to fake coins that are fakes of coins still in circulation e.g. pound coins, is it legal to sell them?

Welcome to the forum, andysmee!

 

In the USA, there is a law (Hobby Protection Act) that requires replicas or copies of coins to have either the word "COPY" or "REPLICA" stamped into the metal. This pertains mostly to coins which are no longer in circulation but have become collector's items. I don't know if there are similar laws in other countries.

 

As to circulating coins which are still valid currency, you would definitely be violating other laws which deal with outright counterfeits if you tried to sell them. Think about what you just asked: if you sell a counterfeit coin without such a mark, you would be just as guilty of selling counterfeit money as if you had made it yourself. The only way around this IMHO (I'm not a lawyer by any means) is by spending it, IF you could prove that you had no idea that what you were spending (as opposed to "selling") was not genuine when you get caught (probably not a very pleasant situation in which to be).

 

That being said, there are definitely a number of collectors who collect old counterfeit coins and currency, i.e. counterfeits made during the time when these items did circulate. This goes back even to ancient coins. With ancients, some counterfeiters were so good at their "trade" that their productions have acquired a collectible category of their own, e.g. 18th and 19th century fakes of ancient Roman and Greek coins.

 

I seriously doubt that there are collectors who collect modern counterfeits of circulating coins, though I might be mistaken. And I doubt that you will find any such aficionados (if they exist) on this forum.