Who will also admit to using coins as washers?

[ersatzs2]

Remember the George Carlin skit, where he asks, "Why do people go to the store and spend $1 to buy a bookmark? Why not just use the dollar bill as a bookmark?

I felt the same way this weekend at the hardware store looking at the per-item prices for washers. A box of copper crush washers was 2.99 for five. (why do they always pack them in even numbers? <edit I meant odd>)

Wait a sec, I'm thinking. Why don't I just drill out a few pennies? So I did.

It got me wondering how many times I'd paid more for a washer than the value of coin I exchanged for it, that was roughly the same size.
Sure my time is worth something, but For some applications, a coin makes a great washer: non corrosive, slightly crushable, reasonably strong.

Jes sayin'

 

[Hafen_Kafer]

That's just silly.

 

[TwoInch]

unless those pennies were pre 1983, they werent copper.

 

[Outlawmws]

Other than you are breaking a federal law?

My dad drilled a dozen nickles near the lower edge to make a "decorative" washer to hold up bulletin boards in our rooms when I was a kid...

 

[The Copilot]

This is probably worth a read before you drill out too many of those U.S. coins:

http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/18C17.txt

 

[Dimitri]

Why don't I just drill out a few pennies? So I did.

Because ...

Defacement of Currency

Defacement of currency is a violation of Title 18, Section 333 of the United States Code. Under this provision, currency defacement is generally defined as follows: Whoever mutilates, cuts, disfigures, perforates, unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, Federal Reserve Bank, or Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such item(s) unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

Defacement of currency in such a way that it is made unfit for circulation comes under the jurisdiction of the United States Secret Service. The United States Secret Service web address is www.secretservice.gov.

Or being here in Canada ...

456. Every one who
(a) defaces a current coin, or
(b) utters a current coin that has been defaced,
is guilty of an offence punishable on summary
conviction.
R.S., c. C-34, s. 4

Dimitri

 

[oldtools]

Penny has uneven surfaces so it would cause uneven loading. Some washer also act as a seal, so the drilled penny would not work.

 

[ajchien]

As for currency destruction ... What about those machines I see at a theme park area, where you put in 51 cents and get a penny squashed into an oval with the theme park logo on it or whatever...

 

[rsanter]

As for currency destruction ... What about those machines I see at a theme park area, where you put in 51 cents and get a penny squashed into an oval with the theme park logo on it or whatever...

Modifying coins for jewelry or art is a legal exception

Bob

 

[oldtools]

As for currency destruction ... What about those machines I see at a theme park area, where you put in 51 cents and get a penny squashed into an oval with the theme park logo on it or whatever...

That is OK since the government get 10% tax on the 51 cents which is 5 cents. They will let you destroy it if they get 500% back.

 

[lisiecki1]

Modifying coins for jewelry or art is a legal exception

Bob

Every coin I've ever drilled was used for art.

 

[A_Pmech]

If you read 18 U.S.C. 331 you''ll discover that fradulent intent or intended destruction is a required for there to be a violation.

Simply repurposing it isn't either of those things which is why it's perfectly legal to elongate coins.

 

[rlitman]

But illegal to sell coins for scrap value.

 

[larry_g]

In chemistry class years ago the instructor was regaling us with the time he had to get some moss off his patio and roof. He checked out the moss killer and discovered it was mainly copper sulfate at a high price. He went to the bank and bought $10 worth of pennies and threw them about to kill the moss. After the moss was dead he told the grandchildren they could have all the pennies they could find. So $10 to kill the moss, penny hunt for the kids, priceless.

I also have a bunch of pennies that I keep in the shop to provide 'soft jaws' when I need to grab nice stuff in the vise.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Givl Reggin]

If you read 18 U.S.C. 331 you''ll discover that fradulent intent or intended destruction is a required for there to be a violation.

Leave it to our government to spend $200,000+ for a trial then $40,000+ a year to imprison someone for destroying <$1 in coins.

 

[fflintstone]

unless those pennies were pre 1983, they werent copper.

the change was mid 1982 so only 1981 or older are always 100% copper.

 

[jjjrmx5]

the change was mid 1982 so only 1981 or older are always 100% copper.

IIRC WW2 year pennies did come in the steel version to save on copper.

So not ALL pennies. Just most.

 

[Mgraves235]

Never would use one as a washer, but i'm sure i've squished and dropped far more pennies into a lathe tray than I've actually used for purchases.

 

[ATC]

So you people have government officials knocking on your door just to check every coin in the house for damage?

I don't have time to constantly worry about every little feel-good law on the books. I have a Quarter on my key ring that I shot with a .22 a decade ago and put a perfect hole in it. I usually get compliments from the sheriffs at the courthouse thinking its neat.

 

[2oolhound]

The penny is being phased out in Canada so I guess it's ok here. Nickels and dimes can't be too much farther down the road.

 

[djjsr]

I once worked with a guy from West Virginia. He was so proud that he could file down a quarter to the size of a nickel and use it in the vending machine.


(no offense meant to West Virginians, I'm sure there's some smart people in your state but this guy wasn't one of them)

 

[Steevo]

I will second your statement.
Defacing any US currency is breaking the law.
Remember all sins are the same in God's eyes. If you steal a penny, **** or kill someone it is all the same. It is a sin. There are no degrees of sin.
Take it for what it is worth. That is God's words not my opinion. Religion is man made, God's work is not.

Not I am not being religious. The word of God is not a religion.

Oy vey!

 

[Steevo]

I once worked with a guy from West Virginia. He was so proud that he could file down a quarter to the size of a nickel and use it in the vending machine.


(no offense meant to West Virginians, I'm sure there's some smart people in your state but this guy wasn't one of them)

In the old days, we could do this with pennies to make dimes, and get a Coke from the vending machine. Remember the small Coke bottles for a dime?

 

[jamesc]

I think destroying your own currency is great because it should bring the value of the remaining currency up. because when you print more money it value of it goes down so if money gets destroyed it should raise the value of the remaining currency.

and I have once used pennys as washers, it was all I had at the time and it was a low strength application.

 

[devoncoolman]

never used a coin as a washer but I used to live right next to a rail road and we used to lay pennis and nickels on the tracks and come back a couple hrs later after the train went by and they would be paper thin. thought this was so cool back in the day. then some other kids got curious and started putting rocks and hard stuff on the track and you would hear the stuff go flying out from under the locomotive when it came through. priceless.

 

[DanCo]

Remember the George Carlin skit, where he asks, "Why do people go to the store and spend $1 to buy a bookmark? Why not just use the dollar bill as a bookmark?

I felt the same way this weekend at the hardware store looking at the per-item prices for washers. A box of copper crush washers was 2.99 for five. (why do they always pack them in even numbers?) Wait a sec, I'm thinking. Why don't I just drill out a few pennies? So I did.

It got me wondering how many times I'd paid more for a washer than the value of coin I exchanged for it, that was roughly the same size.
Sure my time is worth something, but For some applications, a coin makes a great washer: non corrosive, slightly crushable, reasonably strong.

Jes sayin'

Wait a sec, Now I'm thinking.I know its been a few years since I've been to school. But isn't 5 an odd number.

Dan

 

[KEH]

The WW2 steel pennies were made in 1943. The legend was that a few copper pennies were made with the 1943 date and they would be very valuable, but one never turned up AFIK.

Political correctness dictates some of the amount of defacement that the government tolerates on coins. The state commerative quarters came out, I think in order of admission to the union. SC was one of the original 13 and so the SC quarters came out early. Some machinest/jewler took the SC quarter, which has the outline of the state on the face, and machined a Confederate flag over the state. The feds made a lot of noise about that being defacement of US coinage, which it was, but no more than drilling holes in the coins and allowing an artistic exempetion.

KEH

 

[Wi Fire 10]

How many thousands of dollars would it take to prosecute a guy, for defacing a penny, in a federal court? lol

 

[Zeke]

If you read 18 U.S.C. 331 you''ll discover that fradulent intent or intended destruction is a required for there to be a violation.

Simply repurposing it isn't either of those things which is why it's perfectly legal to elongate coins.

Well, I'm safe from prosecution then for placing pennies on the RR tracks. And I did that well before 1983, so I got nice thin shapes. Wonder what I did with those.

 

[metaleltr]

$75000 is the threshold for a case of diverse citizenship to go to federal court, but I dont think that applies in this situation.

 

[Wi Fire 10]

KEH,
I like the two short stories you posted above. Here is the picture of that defaced "confederate" quarter if anyone was curious.

/onlineathens.com/stories/041401/new_0414010025.shtml

 

[Danglerb]

A Centsless crime, but a penny is nothing like a crush washer. A crush washer is a one time use soft ductile copper, and a penny is a stamped work hardened copper plated piece of junk metal.

Other than a crush washer, IMHO anything that fits in the spot is technically a washer. I'm using the brass collar of a compression fitting for tubing as a 3/8 thick washer in my car right now.

 

[jmm]

I will second your statement.
Defacing any US currency is breaking the law.
Remember all sins are the same in God's eyes. If you steal a penny, **** or kill someone it is all the same. It is a sin. There are no degrees of sin.
Take it for what it is worth. That is God's words not my opinion. Religion is man made, God's work is not.

Not I am not being religious. The word of God is not a religion.

The hell? A break from telling us we've overpayed for everything and/or proudly have already owned every unique tool anyone's ever found for the past 90 years, bought your whole family 3 and still find them at the swap meets every week for 10 cents...I'm stunned.

You're confusing the word of man with the word of God, but I'll let you slide because I come to GJ to enjoy myself.

The money's yours. I don't think it'd make the best washer, but in a pinch it oughta do the trick.

Edit: I also use dollar bills for bookmarks. I never lose my books.

 

[d_rock]

I figure I can destroy as much currency as I want (not that I would want to). Since the government will just print more off as it see's fit anyway.

 

[TwoInch]

the change was mid 1982 so only 1981 or older are always 100% copper.

i understand that.

i told him that unless they were pre 1983, they were NOT copper. with the 1982s you have a higher chance of copper than zinc.

 

[TwoInch]

I will second your statement.
Defacing any US currency is breaking the law.
Remember all sins are the same in God's eyes. If you steal a penny, **** or kill someone it is all the same. It is a sin. There are no degrees of sin.
Take it for what it is worth. That is God's words not my opinion. Religion is man made, God's work is not.

Not I am not being religious. The word of God is not a religion.

where do you come up with this stuff??


God is purely religion, (not so)sorry to say.

read john 19:11. come back and say there are no degrees of sin. the book is all over the place.

im not religious in any way shape or form.

 

[pendragon1998]

I think I got stupider reading this thread.

 

[uniballer]

I use pennies to level toilets sometimes!

 

[lwlobo]

Several years ago I contracted a semi local engineering company to build a custom automation machine, $350k worth. Most of it was pretty good, so I was surprised when I found pennies under the jack screws while indicating in one of the chucks.

They worked fine but I replaced them with bronze discs, just because.

 

[Outlawmws]

In the old days, we could do this with pennies to make dimes, and get a Coke from the vending machine. Remember the small Coke bottles for a dime?

I have the vending machine for those old 6 oz. Coke bottles!