Since it is illegal to deface government property ie money why are there the penny smusher machines?

Question

Ya know the ones for tourists.... aren't they illegal then?

yes...yes... it was a very random thought

Answer 1

There is a clause in the mutilation law....U.S. Title 18, Chapter 17, Section 331: Prohibits among
other things, fraudulent alteration and mutilation of coins. This
statue does not, however, prohibit the mutilation of coins if done
without fraudulent intent if the mutilated coins are not used
fraudulently."

So the machines are legal since the coins are not going to be used fraudulently.

Answer 2

It is illegal to deface money with the intent of fraud of some sort. That is why you can smash pennies, make neclaces out of coins, etc. These things are not an attempt to do anything illegal in and of themselves.

Answer 3

Although pennies are minted by the US government, once they are in circulation, they belong to the people who have them. Therefore, you can do whatever you want (within reason) with something that you own - as long as you don't try to commit fraud. You know ahead of time what the machine will do to your penny and you have paid more than a penny to have it pressed in a machine.

Answer 4

No, because money is not the governments. It is a system of exchanging worth. Therefore it can flow freely between other national borders and has a value both domestically and internationally.

Answer 5

Who cares about pennies. We really need a politician smashing machine.

Answer 6

haha, that's such a good question and i nvr really thought about it! must've been a pretty random thought huh? well who knows, maybe people could just care less about pennies and hey, free quarters and nickles! who knows?

Answer 7

:)

Because they're fun! YAY FOR PENNY SMUSHERS!