talkmagic.co.uk

Hmmm... Loads of folding and bitten coins about some at ridiculusly low prices biut who makes them? where can i visit the factory? HOW ARE THEY MADE???? OK that last answer would break a whole load of rules so just as much info as possibble please.

Sasco makes them and so does Johnson. I'm thinking Johnson would be difficult to visit at the moment and I know they actually do make them when they don't have a contract for their regular work. Sasco may have them made, I'm not sure. There may be others.

why isnt it illegal to make them

bmat wrote:Sasco makes them and so does Johnson. I'm thinking Johnson would be difficult to visit at the moment and I know they actually do make them when they don't have a contract for their regular work. Sasco may have them made, I'm not sure. There may be others.

Any more details on Sasco & Johnson? Are they people or companies? UK or US or other?
All help greatfully accepted.

Flood wrote:why isnt it illegal to make them

According to british law it only becomes a criminal matter if the "fake" is used as legal currency eg colour copies of a £10 if passed as currency at the local magic shop will get you a criminal record however if used as a burnt and restored fake your fine.
the grey area i've not been able to get to the bottom of is if you pass a fake coin off AS currency? (for the purposes of a trick) especially if it's a paid gig. you are by deffinition making profit from use of illegal currency!!??
Interestingly (or not) Signing a note IS NOT an offence if the print does not pass over the queens face. If it does it's classed as defacing the queen and it's the tower for you!
Strange but true.

Sasco and Johnson are both American companies.

The law on these things depends on where you are. In Canada you are not allowed to deface currency. So technically it is probably against the law. If you were to actually make the coin rather then gimmick an existing coin you could probably get away with it as long as you don't try to pass if off as currency. Although I'm pretty sure the lawyers could win a case that you are indeed creating fake currency if it is close enough to the real deal.

In the US I worked at a bank for several years and dealt with the fed reserve on a number of issues, everything from mutilated money to counterfit bills. I asked my contact there about this very issue. You are not allowed to devalue currency. So if you gimmick a coin and sell it as a gimmicked coin for more it is not against the law. If you try to then pass it off as currency then you will have trouble. There is a problem however by gimmicking the coin you are taking away from its intrinsic value. So it gets confusing.

The short answer's were basically as follows. The US treasury knows about gaffed coins for magicians purposes and realize it is not a case of fraud or counterfitting and is not worth it to them to go after the people making these coins.

Secondly, be smart and stay away from the producing these coins. If for any reason the Federal Reserve doesn't like it. They can get you.

This was several years ago. I know I got this information from some lady on the other end of the phone of the Treasury department who fielded calls from banks on questionable bills and mutilated funds. If the info is accurate, or still accurate I don't know.

Short answer to illegality: It's the intent.
If you don't INTEND to use the altered coin/bill for illegal purposes, you aren't breaking the law.