COIN, laws relating to. Counterfeiting the king's money, or bringing false mo ney into the realm counterfeit to the money of England, clipping, washing, rounding, filing, impairing, diminishing, falsifying, scaling, lightening, edging, colouring, gilding, making, mending, or having in one's possession, any pun cheon, counter puncheon, matrix, stamp, dye, pattern, mould, edger, or cutting engine : all these incur the penalty of high treason. And if any person shall counterfeit any such kind of gold or sil ver, as are not the proper coin of the realm, but current therein by the king's consent, he shall be guilty of high trea son.
If any person shall tender in pay ment any counterfeit coin, he shall, for the first offence, be imprisoned six months ; for the second offence, two years; and for the th;rd offence shall b, e guilty of felony without benefit of clergy.
Blanching copper or other base metal, or buying or selling the same ; and re ceiving or paying money at a lower rate than its denomination doth import ; and also the offence of counterfeiting copper half-pence and farthings; incur the pe nalty of felony, but within clergy. Coun
terfeiting coin not the proper coin of this realm, not permitted to be current therein, is misprision of treason. A per son buying or selling, or having in his possession, clippings or filings, shall for feit 500/ and he branded in the cheek with the letter R. And any person hav ing in his possession a coining-press, or casting bars or ingots of silver, in imita tion of Spanish bars or ingots, shall for feit 5001.
A reward of 401. is given for convict ing a counterfeiter of the gold or silver coin ; and 101. for a counterfeiter of the copper coin.