Coin Act 1696

{{Short description|Act of the Parliament of England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Use British English|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox UK legislation | short_title = Coin Act 1696 | type = Act | parliament = Parliament of England | long_title = An Act for the better preventing the counterfeiting the current Coin of this Kingdom. | year = 1696 | citation = [[8 & 9 Will. 3]]. c. 26 | territorial_extent = {{ubli|[[England and Wales]]|[[Scotland]]}} | royal_assent = 16 April 1697 | commencement = 15 May 1697{{efn|Section 1.}} | expiry_date = | repeal_date = 1 May 1832 | amends = [[Coin Act 1694]] | amendments = {{ubli|[[Coin (No. 2) Act 1697]]|[[Assay of Plate Act 1702]]|[[Treason Act 1708]]|[[Perpetuation, etc. of Acts 1708]]}} | repealing_legislation = [[Coinage Offences Act 1832]] | related_legislation = {{ubli|[[Coin Act 1572]]|[[Coin Act 1575]]|[[Coin Act 1732]]|[[Counterfeiting Coin Act 1741]]}} | status = Repealed | original_text = https://www.british-history.ac.uk/statutes-realm/vol7/pp269-271 | revised_text = }}

The '''Coin Act 1696''' ([[8 & 9 Will. 3]]. c. 26) was an [[Act of Parliament (United Kingdom)|act]] of the [[Parliament of England]] which made it [[high treason]] to make or possess equipment useful for [[counterfeit]]ing coins. Its title was "An Act for the better preventing the counterfeiting the current Coin of this Kingdom."

==Provisions== The act came into effect on 15 May 1697. Section 1 of the act made it treason to "knowingly make or mend, or begin or proceed to make or mend, or assist in the making or mending of" any stamp, mould or the like which could be used to make gold or silver coins current in the realm, or any tool which could be used to emboss letters or marks on the side of a coin. It was also treason to knowingly buy, hide or conceal, or have possession of such items "without lawful Authority or sufficient Excuse for that Purpose." [[Accomplice|Aiding or abetting]] such conduct was also treason.

Section 2 of the act made it treason to "wittingly or knowingly convey or assist in the conveying" any of the items described in section 1 out of the [[Royal Mint]] without lawful authority. "Knowingly receiving, hiding or concealing the same" without lawful authority was also treason. This section differed from section 1 in that "sufficient Excuse" was not a defence.

Section 3 of the act made it treason to mark the edges of any coin, whether the coin was current or not, or even a counterfeit coin (except if done by a person working in the Royal Mint).

Section 4 of the act made it treason to colour or [[gilding|gild]] a coin, or anything resembling a coin, so as to make it resemble gold or silver.

Section 5 of the act provided for the destruction of coin-producing machinery found in the possession of anyone not an employee of the [[Royal Mint]].

Section 6 of the act made it a [[felony]] to take counterfeit money, or to mix copper with silver. The penalty for this offence was death.

Section 7 of the act stated that [[Attainder#Corruption of blood|corruption of blood]] was not to apply to any of the offences under this act.

Section 8 of the act provided that trials under the act were to be conducted either in the [[Court of King's Bench (England)|Court of King's Bench]] or before the justices of [[oyer and terminer]], the [[assizes]], or the [[Court of General Gaol Delivery]].

Section 9 of the act required any prosecution for offences under the act to begin within three months of the offence. This time limit was later amended to six months for offences under sections 1 and 3 (by the [[Assay of Plate Act 1702]] ([[1 Ann.]] c. 3) and by the [[Perpetuation, etc. of Acts 1708]] ([[7 Ann.]] c. 25)).

== Legacy == The act was continued until the end of the next session of Parliament after 25 March 1701 by section 3 of the [[Coin (No. 2) Act 1697]] ([[9 Will. 3]]. c. 21) and until the end of the next session of Parliament after 25 March 1709 by section 1 of the [[Assay of Plate Act 1702]] ([[1 Ann.]] c. 3).

The act was extended to cover [[Scotland]] by the [[Treason Act 1708]] ([[7 Ann.]] c. 21) and made perpetual by [[Perpetuation, etc. of Acts 1708]] ([[7 Ann.]] c. 25).

The whole act was repealed by section 1 of the [[Coinage Offences Act 1832]] ([[2 & 3 Will. 4]]. c. 34).

== See also == *[[High treason in the United Kingdom]] *[[Treason Act 1415|Coin Acts 1572 and 1575]] *[[Coin Act 1732]] *[[Counterfeiting Coin Act 1741]] *[[Treason Act]] *[[Great Recoinage of 1696]]

== Notes == {{Notelist}}

== External links == *[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46874 Text of the act]

[[Category:Acts of the Parliament of England 1696]] [[Category:Economic history of England]] [[Category:Repealed English legislation]] [[Category:Treason in England]] [[Category:Currency law in the United Kingdom]]