Is it legal to do this to coins?

Hello I am new to coin collecting and to cointalk. I have been lurking for a week or so but just registered because I am curious if it is legal to alter US coins such as done in the link below. They say what they are doing is "counterstamping"...is that term correct?

I always heard it was a crime to deface money.

Does anyone collect stuff like that?

Just curious...

http://www.penny.greatnow.com

The link above looks to be safe for work. They don't appear to be selling anything, so I guess it is not spam to post it here.

 

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Welcome to the forum John P. No, it isn't against the law to deface coins unless you are doing it for the purpose of fraud. I think in this instance the purpose is well stated. I wonder about the screwdriver though...

 

It's legal, and fun.

I have counterstamped over 1000 coins on two continents with various things. My latest project is to c/s 1000s of nickels with my initials on them. I had a stamp made for that purpose so I get all three initials in one whack.

Might be fun to see one of my coins show up on ebay or in a reference guide someday. Until then, I take pleasure in knowing that some people will look at my coins and say "what idiot did this?"

 

If I'm looking through rolls and I come across coins counterstamped JBK I won't have to wonder I'll Know!

 

Most of them are on the reverse over Minticello.

 

JBK,

Good idea [in an unusual sort of way]. Where does one go to have a stamp made?

 

If that person comes around here, they will know!

 

Lots of places, actually. I search in the Internet, key words such as "steel hand stamp". Harper Manufacturing is one, while NGRAVUR Company (Also called R J Phillips Assoc, Bozrah, CT) is another. The second is a small place, with less choice of styles, but the guy is real nice, the service is FAST, and he is also the cheapest (initials cost me about $40 delivered).

Give it a try - counterstamping is a dying art. We need to keep things going for future generations to collect.

 

Well, if there where silver coins around in circulation normally, not the few you can still find in the USA today, and they where not more expensive than face value, I am sure more will do this type of thing, it is easier to mold silver.

How do you do the stamping, is hand force enough?

 

Be careful about that website:
http: www penny greatnow com
It tried to load a program onto my computer.

 

No - a steel stamp is hit with a hammer. I tried a couple silver quarters, and they were harder to stamp than nickels (don't forget - nickels and CN is 75% copper).

 

I see, thank you for the info!

 

A new nickel counterstamping has surfaced... NO MORE LIES on one side and FREE PRESS on the other.
The nickels are mixed random dates, and the marks are randomly rotated.

 

Available by the kilo here (200 nickels/kilo)
https://www.shirepost.com/products/no-more-lies-free-press-bulk-novelty-coin?variant=40438630228

 

It is also illegal to put advertising on a coin so a counterstamp of your business or company logo would be illegal.

 

This is true, although nobody would really care unless you were marking a LOT of them AND intentionally placing them back into circulation.

 

Are love tokens illegal? I'm guessing no. I hope not.

 

It's your money, you can do what you like as long as you don't sell it as a genuine coin.

 

Yes, they are illegal. If the government catches you, they will make you break up your relationship and put the coin back to it's original state.

 

chop marks?