In Australia, it is not illegal to make rings from coins as long as the coin is not altered or defaced to make it look like a different denomination or to resemble a genuine coin. However, it is a criminal offense to deface, destroy, or sell defaced coins, or to produce an article that resembles a genuine coin. The penalty for defacing coins can include fines and imprisonment.
The key points are simple:
- Doing something that is fraudulent. Whether as a ring or whole coin saying, its something that it is not is illegal e.g. You can’t alter a coin to make it appear like another denomination or to pass it off as a different value. Or infer the ring is of a higher alloy value than it actually is
- Defacing or Destroying: You cannot intentionally deface, disfigure, mutilate, or destroy any Australian coin. Selling Defaced Coins: You cannot sell or possess defaced coins. Replicas: You cannot produce an article that resembles a genuine coin.
In summary, making rings from coins is generally fine as long as the original coin’s integrity and value are not altered and it’s not passed off as a different denomination.
