talkmagic.co.uk

I'm not sure I'd trust my local police to let me off even if shown exactly how the trick worked. I got pulled over riding my bike on the pavement. They told me off for riding on the pavement, however they didn't take too kindly to me pointing out it was a cycle path.

Anyone know if this issue was ever resolved & if the jumbo £2 are on sale anywhere? I don't really want to go over to using dollars just so I can end with a jumbo coin.

I'm making my Blackpool shopping list.
Russ

Vanishing Inc and The Card Collection are still showing them as availble. Magicbox and one or two others also show them but are out of stock but available to order.

If the Jumbo is illegal then howcome the doubled headed £1, pennies, 10p etc are apparently OK?

I know, it does seem a bit weird. I remember playing with a post office kids toy thing at playschool that had plastic replica coins in which were actual size let alone scaled up to a ridiculously comedic size.

Thanks for the heads up on where they are. I'm compiling a list of things to look for in Blackpool, who is selling them & at what price.

Russ

[sarky mode on]I'm surprised they still allow choclate coins at Christmas![/sarky mode off]

I am going to buy one then try to use it at a shop... just see what happens!

this is pure scare mongering, I appreciate the heads up but in all honesty its just a magic prop

TLS

'zackly!!

I bought a couple at the time this fuss first arose and I've not had any issues since.

From what I've heard, and it was from the person selling them, there was some dispute between certain parties and the story was a creation to turn away potential buyers.

That's what I was told and the seller never got a visit from the boys in blue as far as I am aware.

You obviously take your chance but I think that you'll be worrying over nothing.

I think recently the Government is just waving its dangleys around at the moment, trying to say "Look how big and scary we are on crime!" or "Vote for us, we're desperate!"

I wouldn't worry too much about it, if you are stopped by the police, I'd think 99% of the time they aren't going to care about magic money if you can show thats what it is. All the coppers I know are sound lads that wouldn't give a hoot

Well I got some magical twenty pound notes I am selling for a tenner each... Its a good trick cause people think they are real twenty pound notes and you buy stuff with them.

Is this illegal?

(the above is a sarcastic statement I do not have any such notes so please do not PM me regarding buying these)

TLS

I started reading the original post on this and started to look at the relevant legislation. It was definitely being quoted out of context, which supports the idea that the Police had not warned anyone about this.

So this bit of the legislation only relates to Bank Notes:-
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.

The bit of the legislation that relates to Coins states (which wasn't quoted as it didn't support the scaremongering story):-
19 Offences of making etc. imitation British coins(1)It is an offence for a person—
(a)to 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
(b)to sell or distribute imitation British coins in connection with any such scheme, or to have imitation British coins in his custody or under his control with a view to such sale or distribution,
unless the Treasury have previously consented in writing to the sale or distribution of such imitation British coins in connection with that scheme.
(2)In this section—
“British coin” means any coin which is legal tender in any part of the United Kingdom; and
“imitation British coin” means any thing which resembles a British coin in shape, size and the substance of which it is made.

As the magic £2 coin is a completely different size it cannot be classified as 'imitation' so clearly no offence is being committed.

You can read the whole text of the relevant law here (if you can be bothered)
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/ ... 10045_en_1

Thanks Tim, fact like that is always preferable!

On a slightly related note, I tried buying this from Vanishing Inc but my card was refused so I tried it with varied address layouts etc but with no luck. The next day I had a voice mail from the bank telling me that my card may have been duplicated & used to buy things in America. I emailed Vanishing Inc & they said because it's an American pay system, sometimes UK banks refuse it. Talk about a nanny state, I can't use my own money to buy an oversized coin which may or may not be illegal in itself.

Gonna look for other, UK stockists for this, if not look out for one in Blackpool.

Grrr,
Russ

I have been here before and so I hope the law hasn't changed in the last two years (because they often do!)
Possession of a gimmicked coin will not get you arrested and charged unless you intend to pass the coin as legal currency - in which case you are committing fraud.
The law as written is stated thus to close down the manufacturing of fake £coin factories and no CPS (Criminal Prosecution Service) would ever take to court a case where a performer has on or about their person a coin they know or believe to be fake. There is not as yet a legal precedent in UK law with this regard (magician charged and convicted for having a bitten coin!)

Any takers on being the first???

In a nutshell – technically you have in your possession a coin that breaks the law. But you would not be charged with an offence unless you knowingly passed it as real money.

But remember don’t have nightmares…. Do sleep well.

Aren't coin designs copywrited? UK banknotes have the (c) symbol now, so that counterfeiters can be slapped for copywrite infringement too.

Some copywrite violations are acceptable, I suppose.