talkmagic.co.uk

Just to let you all know, Alakazam Have just got Jumbo £2 coins in stock for £20.

Check out Magic Week (last weeks news). Adam Keisner has a batch and is selling at £20 each or two for £35.

Received mine today as well. Very impressed with the quality!

Hi guys,

The information below is for your serious consideration. If you have purchased one of these coins and Adam Keisner has record of it on his computer I suggest you contact him and resolve this immediately.

Information supplied by World Magic Shop following a phone call from the serious crimes division at the Treasury.

Just a small part of the legislation. Perhaps you would like to pass this on to anyone who is thinking of dealing in the jumbo £2.00
We have also been informed today by the serious crimes division of HM Treasury that if we stock this item we would be prosecuted.
They directed us to the legislation.



Apparently they are about to pounce on several dealers since the coins showed up on EBay.


Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 (c. 45)
Main body
Part II Counterfeiting and Kindred Offences
18.
The offence of reproducing British currency notes.
— (1) It is an offence for any person, unless the relevant authority has previously consented in writing, to reproduce on any substance whatsoever, and whether or not on the correct scale, any British currency note or any part of a British currency note.
(2) In this section—
“British currency note” means any note which—
(a) has been lawfully issued in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland; and
(b) is or has been customarily used as money in the country where it was issued; and
(c) is payable on demand; and
“the relevant authority”, in relation to a British currency note of any particular description, means the authority empowered by law to issue notes of that description.

16.Offences involving the custody or control of counterfeit notes and coins.
— (1) It is an offence for a person to have in his custody or under his control any thing which is, and which he knows or believes to be, a counterfeit of a currency note or of a protected coin, intending either to pass or tender it as genuine or to deliver it to another with the intention that he or another shall pass or tender it as genuine.
(2) It is an offence for a person to have in his custody or under his control, without lawful authority or excuse, any thing which is, and which he knows or believes to be, a counterfeit of a currency note or of a protected coin.
(3) It is immaterial for the purposes of subsections (1) and (2) above that a coin or note is not in a fit state to be passed or tendered or that the making or counterfeiting of a coin or note has not been finished or perfected.


(3) Subject to subsection (4) below, it is an offence for a person to make, or to have in his custody or under his control, any implement which, to his knowledge, is capable of imparting to any thing a resemblance—
(a)
to the whole or part of either side of a protected coin; or
(b)
to the whole or part of the reverse of the image on either side of a protected coin.
Making, Selling or Distributing Imitation British Coins
Section 19 of the 1981 Act makes it an offence to:
(i) make an imitation British coin in connection with a scheme intended to
promote the sale of any product or the making of contracts for the
supply of any service; or
(ii) sell or distribute imitation British coins in connection with any such
scheme, or to have imitation British coins in his or her custody or under
his or her control with a view to such sale or distribution,
without Treasury consent in writing to the sale or distribution of such imitation
British coins in connection with that scheme.
A .British Coin. is defined, in section 19(2) of the Act, as any coin which is
legal tender in any part of the United Kingdom.
Best regards
David

Gulp.

I wasn't aware of this when I ordered and like many, assumed that because it was for sale through a reputable site it was legal. I have returned my coins and asked for a refund.

This all sounds very silly to me, I really can't believe that they'd follow through with any of that. Time for a little bit of common sense I think. What about things like flash notes? I guess they must be illegal too under those rules.

Folding coins
bitten coins
etc the list goes on.

I think if you can prove they are an 'magical' item and that your not using them as currency (like anyone would except a jumbo coin!) you should be ok. Although i dont know where shops stand in selling them...

Saying that i was stopped by the police last night and one fell out of my pocket and he spent quite a bit of time debating wether or not radio in about it lol

Darren @ The Magic Attic

Just make sure you don't perform these tricks to any police officers then

A 2 1/2" wide coin in blatantly a prop and not an attempt to countefeit a coin in circulation.

Plus why would anyone pay £20 for a fake £2 coin if it was for that purpose??

A bit of scaremongering I think!

Carlos75 wrote:A 2 1/2" wide coin in blatantly a prop and not an attempt to countefeit a coin in circulation.

Plus why would anyone pay £20 for a fake £2 coin if it was for that purpose??

A bit of scaremongering I think!

Hi Carlos,

You obviously didn’t read the point 1 of the legislation which I put in bold type.

Serious Crimes contacted World Magic Shop yesterday and I wanted to pass on the information we received from them. If you think this is scare mongering that is your view but I just wanted to inform people of their potential position as soon as possible.

Kind regards

David

dp wrote:

Carlos75 wrote:A 2 1/2" wide coin in blatantly a prop and not an attempt to countefeit a coin in circulation.

Plus why would anyone pay £20 for a fake £2 coin if it was for that purpose??

A bit of scaremongering I think!

Hi Carlos,

You obviously didn’t read the point 1 of the legislation which I put in bold type.

Serious Crimes contacted World Magic Shop yesterday and I wanted to pass on the information we received from them. If you think this is scare mongering that is your view but I just wanted to inform people of their potential position as soon as possible.

Kind regards

David

Hi David

No, you're right, I didn't!

I wonder where this stands with regards to other fake/gimmicked coins on the market? Also, isn't it technically illegal to deface/destroy any UK tender, even though as magicians we encourage people to do this all the time with signed notes, torn notes, bent coins etc?

Thanks for posting this up anyway David think mine will be going back. I'll stick to my jumbo half dollar

I think the difference is that folding coins and the like begin life as real coins. The jumbo £2 coin is an imitation rather than a repurposed adaptation.

Still sucks though. I was looking for a jumbo UK coin.

I believe permission is needed from the treasury for any gimmicked coin, which this hasn't seeked. Saying that I doubt many of the ones on the market have got legal permission.

I imagine this one could get you in trouble if caught carrying it.

http://www.magicbox.uk.com/shop.php/sho ... p_410.html

Is there any feedback on whether the Treasury actually say no if you ask to make a huge £2 coin? I know that they are very iffy indeed about notes, with the requirement to print SPECIMEN in big letters across it.

PS I guess that this is the end of chocolate coins, if it is not necessary for the thing to actually attempt to look like a real coin

I imagine this one could get you in trouble if caught carrying it.

due to the way this little gem works you'd be quite safe carrying this one about.
this is why i stick to foreign coins and chinese washers, they have a track record and are accepted.
will our rules extend to the euro when or if we get it, that is the question.
and what about thoughs only fools and horses notes you can get.