On the recordJuly 30, 2013
(Mr. BUTTERFIELD asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight in support of H.R. 2754, the Collectible Coin Protection Act. I introduced this bill with the bipartisan support of Energy and Commerce full committee Ranking Member Mr. Henry Waxman and Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Mr. Lee Terry, as well as three other colleagues, because the manufacture and sale of counterfeit coins is rapidly increasing across the country. Manufacturing and selling imitation coins is a little-known black market industry here in the United States. With the invention of 3-D printers, anyone with a computer can now create a fake coin with relative ease that, for all intents and purposes, appears genuine in size and in color and in weight. Unloading these imitation coins off on unsuspecting collectors has become big business and cuts to the very core of our ability to control and regulate the currency. By the time the collector realizes that he has been scammed, it is absolutely too late. Current law, Mr. Speaker, makes it illegal to manufacture or import imitation coins meant for sale unless that coin is plainly and permanently marked with the word ``copy.'' Mr. Burgess made reference to that a moment ago.…
