Counterfeiting, etc., of Gold Coin Act 1772
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
(13 Geo. 3) C A P. LXXI.
'W H E R E A S the preventing the Currencyof clipped and unlawfully diminished and counterfeit Money is a more effectual Means to preserve the Coin of this Kingdom entire and pure, than the most rigorous Laws for the Punishment of such as diminish or counterfeit the same: And whereas, by the known Laws of this Kingdom, no Person ought to pay, or knowingly tender in Payment, any counterfeit or unlawfully diminished Money, and all Persons may not only refuse the same, but may, and by the ancient Statutes and Ordinances of this Kingdom have been required to destroy and deface the same, and more particularly the Tellers in the Receipt of the Exchequer, by their Duty and Oath of Office, are required to receive no Money but good and true; and to the End the same might be the better discerned and known by the ancient Course of the said Receipt of the Exchequer, all Money ought to be received there by Weight as well as Tale: And whereas, by an Act, passed in the Ninth and Tenth Yearsof the Reign of the late KingWilliam the Third, (intituled, An Act for the better preventing the counterfeiting, clipping, and other diminishing the Coin of this Kingdom ), Provisions are made for preventing the Currency of clipped and counterfeit Silver Money, but respecting the Gold Money no Provision is thereby made;' be it declared and enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliamentassembled, and by the Authority of the same, That it is and shall be lawful to and for any Person to whom any Gold Money shall be tendered, any Piece or Pieces whereof shall be diminished otherwise than by reasonable wearing, or that by the Stamp, Impression, Colour, or Weight thereof, he shall suspect to be counterfeit, to cut, break, or deface, such Piece or Pieces; and if any Piece so cut, broken, or defaced, shall appear to be diminished (otherwise than by reasonable wearing) or counterfeit, the Person tendering, the same shall bear the Loss thereof; but if the same shall be of due Weight, and appear to be lawful Money, the Person that cut, broke, or defaced the same, shall, and is, hereby required to take and receive the same at the Rate it was coined for; and if any Question or Dispute shall arise...
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