Coins as bases

[Plynkes]

The 1936 Coinage Offences Act (which had a section on defacing coins) was repealed in the 1981 Forgery and Counterfeiting Act. So defacing coins is apparently no longer a crime.

It seems to be illegal to destroy by melting or breaking them up, but sticking a little lead figure to them isn't either of those.


Bear in mind I am not a barrister, solicitor or any other kind of lawyer. So if it turns out I am wrong and the Royal Mint send the Filth after you, "Plynkes said I could do it" probably isn't a very good defence. 

[Hammers]

"Plynkes said I could do it" probably isn't a very good defence. 

Shit, I've always relied on that...

[Westfalia Chris]

The 1936 Coinage Offences Act (which had a section on defacing coins) was repealed in the 1981 Forgery and Counterfeiting Act. So defacing coins is apparently no longer a crime.

It seems to be illegal to destroy by melting or breaking them up, but sticking a little lead figure to them isn't either of those.

Bear in mind I am not a barrister, solicitor or any other kind of lawyer. So if it turns out I am wrong and the Royal Mint send the Filth after you, "Plynkes said I could do it" probably isn't a very good defence. 

I recall seeing a plaque at one of those "coin stamping" machines at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (grand place, btw, lots of of lovely engines, locomotives and airplanes), that specifically pointed to this act, although it was not strictly clear if it was just for this purpose or for all instances of "reusing" coins.

This did picque my interest (along with earlier instances of the "coins for bases", and I took a look at the statutes concerned; interestingly, the 1981 Forgeries and Counterfeiting Act does not mention the topic at all, apparently, and the 1971 Coinage Act makes special reference to "melting and breaking" (section 10), but not to "defacing" in general (although there might be previous legislation still in force, and it would probably take a legal professional with more interest in the matter than myself to sift through all those older acts - which are refreshingly brief, though, compared to German laws...).

Anyway, I'm not too fond of coins as bases, much in the same way as I don't like thin (i.e. less than 2mm) steel washers - I prefer to move figures by their bases to avoid chipping and chafing as much as possible, and for that, I want the bases to be thick enough. I even like slottas and their ilk, although I mainly reserve them for Scifi stuff (so I can combine all my various factions if need be), and projects which had progressed so far as to render re-basing too tedious to be considered (i.e. my Colonial T&T armies). Since I also like the look of black base rimes (painted and varnished, that is), I don't really mind the thickness of the slottas.

[Hammers]

Since I also like the look of black base rimes (painted and varnished, that is), I don't really mind the thickness of the slottas.

Slottabases are Satan's steel washers!

[Plynkes]

Chris, if you look at the 1981 Act there is a section that repeals the 1936 Coinage Offences Act in its entirety without going into specifics. That is the act which outlawed defacement, or so I am led to believe.

[joroas]

The issue in the past was not defacement, but coins were originally made of silver and gold. Clipping them and melting down the filings was a hanging crime as the coins were worth their weight.  Paper money today promises to pay the bearer, on demand, the sum of £---, a meaningless offer, and this is a residue of those days.

[dijit]

The issue in the past was not defacement, but coins were originally made of silver and gold. Clipping them and melting down the filings was a hanging crime as the coins were worth their weight.  Paper money today promises to pay the bearer, on demand, the sum of £---, a meaningless offer, and this is a residue of those days.

And for that reason paper isn't considered to be 'real' money at least in the UK (plastic on the other hand is the only way to go;) )
It seems like I'm in a minority of people that feels a little odd about it, guess I'd best just get over it, as they are after all the cheapest bases known to man. When a coin is worth less than it's value surely there's no real need for them over than letting shops charge you £9.99 instead of £10
Duncan

[Hammers]

And for that reason paper isn't considered to be 'real' money at least in the UK (plastic on the other hand is the only way to go;) )
It seems like I'm in a minority of people that feels a little odd about it, guess I'd best just get over it, as they are after all the cheapest bases known to man. When a coin is worth less than it's value surely there's no real need for them over than letting shops charge you £9.99 instead of £10
Duncan

The nominal worth of coins are today in many cases not worth their own metal weight, not with today's price on copper.

[Froggy the Great]

In the US there are a lot of those touristy places that have a machine wherein you insert two quarters and a penny, select a design, and turn a crank, thus squishing the penny into something thinner and oblong, with the likes of Mt. Rushmore, the Lincoln Memorial (?!), the Lord's Prayer, etc, embossed onto the ex-penny's surface.

That, plus the fact that a penny now costs the government more than $0.01 to make, leaves me unworried about the ramifications of my $15 worth of pennies currently used as bases.

[Trooper]

I find that 1 cent (Canadian or US) where too small to base "big" 28mm figures… I then started gluing figures to 5 cents pieces, gluing the figures on the Queen’s face because the beaver on the other side is a little too well feed quote]

Thank you Calimero for that, I have only just stopped laughing, the thought of the Queen's beaver on the other side of the coin. 

But UK 2p coins are great for basing, and cheaper than anything else. The only downside I have encountered is that you cannot rebase figures should you want to. But that is a small downside at best.

[Hammers]

I find that 1 cent (Canadian or US) where too small to base "big" 28mm figures… I then started gluing figures to 5 cents pieces, gluing the figures on the Queen’s face because the beaver on the other side is a little too well feed quote]

Thank you Calimero for that, I have only just stopped laughing, the thought of the Queen's beaver on the other side of the coin. 

It is funny, esp. a "well fed" one, but I am not sure it was intentionally so.

I present to you Her Majesty's beaver:

[Calimero]

Well I did know that my post may cause some laughing with that expression… but it is what it is, I can translate it to a better wording...

[answer_is_42]

I use pennies sometimes, and 20/25mm round plastic bases other times. Queen's head faces downwards (I'm a Monarchist in a limited sorta way - mostly 'cause I'm a sucker for pomp and ceremony).

[Westfalia Chris]

I am deeply sceptical if that is actually a Beaver Royal and not a Francocanadian Fifth Columnist gnawing away at the foundations of British America.

[Froggy the Great]

Even if this was immortalized on a coin, I think we crossed a line somewhere...