Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-110
§486 Uttering Coins of Gold, Silver or Other Metal
Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 25 — COUNTERFEITING AND FORGERY › § 486
Summary
Making, passing, or trying to pass coins of gold, silver, or other metal as money—whether copied from U.S. or foreign coins or newly designed—is illegal unless authorized and brings a fine, up to five years' prison.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §486
Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Whoever, except as authorized by law, makes or utters or passes, or attempts to utter or pass, any coins of gold or silver or other metal, or alloys of metals, intended for use as current money, whether in the resemblance of coins of the United States or of foreign countries, or of original design, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 281 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 167, 35 Stat. 1120). Reference to persons causing or procuring was omitted as unnecessary in view of definition of “principal” in section 2 of this title. Changes were made in phraseology.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322, which directed the amendment of this section by substituting “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $2,000”, was executed by making the substitution for “fined not more than $3,000”, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 486
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Sep 23, 2026
Release point: 119-110