§ 5120. Obsolete, mutilated, and worn coins and currency

(a)

(1) The Secretary of the Treasury shall melt obsolete and worn United States coins withdrawn from circulation. The Secretary may use the metal from melting the coins for reminting or may sell the metal. The Secretary shall account for the following in the coinage metal fund under section 5111(b) of this title:

(A) obsolete and worn coins and the metal from melting the coins.

(B) proceeds from the sale of the metal.

(C) losses incurred in the sale of the metal.

(D) losses incurred because of the difference between the face value of the coins melted and the coins minted from the metal.

(2) The Secretary shall reimburse the coinage metal fund for losses under paragraph (1)(C) and (D) of this subsection out of amounts in the coinage profit fund under section 5111(b) of this title.

(b) The Secretary shall—

(1) cancel and destroy (by a secure process) obsolete, mutilated, and worn United States currency withdrawn from circulation; and

(2) dispose of the residue of the currency and notes.

(c) The Comptroller General shall audit the cancellation and destruction of United States currency and the accounting of the cancellation and destruction. Records the Comptroller General considers necessary to make an effective audit easier shall be made available to the Comptroller General.

(Pub. L. 97–258, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 986.)

Historical And Revision

Historical and Revision Notes
Revised Section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
5120(a)	31:317c.	Dec. 18, 1942, ch. 767, § 3, 56 Stat. 1065; July 23, 1965, Pub. L. 89–81, § 203(a), 79 Stat. 256.
5120(b)	31:421.	R.S. § 3581.
	31:422.	June 23, 1874, ch. 455, § 1(3d par. under heading “National Currency”), 18 Stat. 206.
5120(c)	31:49a.	May 20, 1966, Pub. L. 89–427, § 5, 80 Stat. 161.

In subsection (a)(1), before clause (A), the word “obsolete” is substituted for “uncurrent” as being more precise. The words “withdrawn from circulation” are substituted for “received in the Treasury” for clarity. The words “heretofore or hereafter issued” are omitted as surplus. The words “metal from melting the coins” are substituted for “the resulting metal” because of the restatement. The word “reminting” is substituted for “coinage” for consistency in the revised title. The word “material” is omitted as being included in “metal”. The words “The Secretary shall account” are substituted for “shall be accounted for by entries” because of the source provisions restated in section 321 of the revised title. In clause (D), the word “face” is substituted for “nominal or face” to eliminate unnecessary words. The words “coins minted from the metal” are substituted for “the amount the same will produce in new coin” for clarity.

In subsection (a)(2), the words “The Secretary shall reimburse” are substituted for “fund shall be reimbursed” because of the source provisions restated in section 321 of the revised title. The text of 31:317c(proviso) is omitted as obsolete because the statutory limit on the coinage metal fund was removed by the restatement of section 3528 of the Revised Statutes by section 206(a) of the Coinage Act of 1965 (Pub. L. 89–81, 79 Stat. 256).

In subsection (b), before clause (1), the words “The Secretary shall” are substituted for “shall be destroyed in such manner and under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe” in 31:421 because of the source provisions restated in section 321 of the revised title. In clause (1), the words “cancel and destroy” are substituted for “shall be destroyed” to conform to subsection (c) and section 5118(c) and (e) of the revised title. The words “(by a secure process)” are substituted for “may be destroyed by maceration instead of burning to ashes” in 31:422 to eliminate unnecessary words and because of the source provisions restated in section 321 of the revised title. The words “obsolete, mutilated, and worn . . . withdrawn from circulation” are substituted for “which by law are required to be taken up, and not reissued, when taken up” in 31:421 for consistency with subsection (a) and 12:124. The words “United States currency” are substituted for “all other notes” in 31:421 and “All national bank notes . . . and other obligations of the United States” for consistency in the revised title. The words “Mutilated United States notes, when replaced according to law” are omitted as superseded by the source provisions restated in section 5119(b) of the revised title. The text of the 3d paragraph(words before the first semicolon and between the 2d and last semicolons) under the heading “National Currency” in section 1 of the Act of June 23, 1874 (ch. 455, 18 Stat. 206), is omitted as executed. In clause (2), the words “dispose of the residue of the currency and notes” are substituted for “The pulp from such macerated issue shall be disposed of only under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury” in 31:422 to eliminate unnecessary words and for consistency in the revised title.

In subsection (c), the word “currency” is substituted for “currency . . . unfit for circulation” to eliminate unnecessary words. The words “regardless of who is responsible for, and regardless of who performs, such cancellation, destruction, or accounting” are omitted as unnecessary because of the restatement. The word “record” is substituted for “books, documents, papers, and records”, and the words “make . . . easier” are substituted for “facilitate”, for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code.

Miscellaneous

Termination of Coinage Profit Fund and Coinage Metal Fund

All assets and liabilities of Coinage Profit Fund and Coinage Metal Fund transferred to United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund and both coinage funds to cease to exist as separate funds as their activities and functions are subsumed under and subject to United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, see section 5136 of this title.

Threshold for Requiring Taxpayer Identification Number

Pub. L. 112–74, div. C, title I, § 117, Dec. 23, 2011, 125 Stat. 891, provided that: “In the current fiscal year and each fiscal year hereafter, any person who forwards to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing a mutilated paper currency claim equal to or exceeding $10,000 for redemption will be required to provide the Bureau their taxpayer identification number.”