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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;doug444, post: 1675147, member: 38849&quot;]Certainly in 2006, there was a law against melting that made it as far as the Federal Register; whether it finally became part of USC, I don&#039;t know:</p><p><br /></p><p><b><p style="text-align: center">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; United States Mint Moves to Limit Exportation &amp; Melting of Coins&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p></b><p style="text-align: center">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Interim Rule Goes Into Effect Immediately </p> <p style="text-align: center">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p style="text-align: center"><br /></p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; <b>WASHINGTON</b> — The United States Mint has implemented&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; regulations to limit the exportation, melting, or treatment of one-cent (penny) and 5-cent (nickel)&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; United States coins, to safeguard against a potential shortage of these coins in circulation.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; The United States Mint is soliciting public comment on the interim rule, which is being published&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; in the <i>Federal Register</i>. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Prevailing prices of copper, nickel and zinc have caused the production costs of pennies and nickels&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; to significantly exceed their respective face values.&nbsp; The United States Mint also has received a&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; steady flow of inquiries from the public over the past several months concerning the metal value of&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; these coins and whether it is legal to melt them.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;We are taking this action because the Nation needs its coinage for commerce,&quot; said Director&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Ed Moy.&nbsp; &quot;We don&#039;t want to see our pennies and nickels melted down so a few individuals can take&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; advantage of the American taxpayer.&nbsp; Replacing these coins would be an enormous cost to taxpayers.&quot; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Specifically, the new regulations prohibit, with certain exceptions, the melting or treatment of all&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; one-cent and 5-cent coins.&nbsp; The regulations also prohibit the unlicensed exportation of these coins,&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; except that travelers may take up to $5 in these coins out of the country, and individuals may ship&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; up to $100 in these coins out of the country in any one shipment for legitimate coinage and numismatic&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; purposes.&nbsp; In all essential respects, these regulations are patterned after the Department of the&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Treasury&#039;s regulations prohibiting the exportation, melting, or treatment of silver coins between 1967&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; and 1969, and the regulations prohibiting the exportation, melting, or treatment of one-cent coins&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; between 1974 and 1978.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; The new regulations authorize a fine of not more than $10,000, or imprisonment of not more than five&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; years, or both, against a person who knowingly violates the regulations.&nbsp; In addition, by law, any&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; coins exported, melted, or treated in violation of the regulation shall be forfeited to the United&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; States Government.</p><p><br /></p><p>[December 14, 2006][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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