I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2730 
To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide a clear line of demarcation 
with regard to private ownership of any coin, medal, or numismatic 
item made or issued by the United States Government before January 
1, 1933, and of any piece produced by the United States Mint before 
such date, that is not in the possession of the United States Government, 
to establish requirements with respect to the inventory of certain United 
States coins, medals, numismatic items, and other pieces produced by 
the United States Mint that are owned by the Department of the Treas-
ury, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 14, 2007 
Mr. LUCAS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide a clear 
line of demarcation with regard to private ownership 
of any coin, medal, or numismatic item made or issued 
by the United States Government before January 1, 
1933, and of any piece produced by the United States 
Mint before such date, that is not in the possession 
of the United States Government, to establish require-
ments with respect to the inventory of certain United 
States coins, medals, numismatic items, and other pieces 
produced by the United States Mint that are owned 
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by the Department of the Treasury, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Numismatic Rarities 
Certainty Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. DISPOSITION OF CERTAIN UNITED STATES COINS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 51, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 5123. INVENTORY AND DISPOSITION OF CERTAIN 
UNITED 
STATES 
COINS, 
MEDALS, 
NUMIS-
MATIC ITEMS, AND OTHER PIECES PRO-
DUCED BY THE UNITED STATES MINT. 
‘‘(a) PIECES MADE BEFORE 1933.—Any coin, medal, 
numismatic item, or other piece struck or made in a 
United States Mint facility before January 1, 1933, that, 
as of the date of the enactment of the Numismatic Rar-
ities Certainty Act of 2007, is not in the possession of 
the United States Government shall not be considered to 
be property of the United States, unless the coin, medal, 
numismatic item, or other piece produced by the United 
States Mint is reacquired by the United States Govern-
ment for value given in a sale or exchange. 
‘‘(b) INVENTORY.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—By January 1, 2008, and 
every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary of the Treas-
ury shall conduct and compile an inventory of all 
coins, medals, numismatic items, and other pieces 
produced by the United States Mint that are owned 
by the Department of the Treasury. 
‘‘(2) INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED.—The in-
ventory shall include a description of each item in-
cluded in the inventory and its current location and, 
if on loan, the name and location of the agency, or-
ganization, or person that has custody of such item. 
‘‘(3) REPORT ON INVENTORY.—The Secretary 
of the Treasury shall submit the inventory together 
with a report containing any findings, recommenda-
tions, or conclusions of the Secretary with respect to 
the inventory to the President and the Congress be-
fore January 31, 2008, and every 5 years thereafter. 
‘‘(c) PRESERVATION, DISPLAY, DISPOSITION OR DE-
STRUCTION OF COINS, MEDALS, NUMISMATIC ITEMS AND 
OTHER PIECES PRODUCED
BY
THE UNITED STATES 
MINT THAT ARE IN THE POSSESSION OF THE UNITED 
STATES GOVERNMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of any coin, 
medal, numismatic item, or other piece produced by 
the United States Mint that is in, or comes into, the 
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possession of the United States Government, the 
coin, medal, numismatic item, or other piece shall be 
transferred to the Secretary of the Treasury, if not 
already in the Secretary’s possession, and the Sec-
retary shall take the appropriate action required 
with respect to such coin, medal, numismatic item, 
or other piece under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(2) DISPOSITION OF COINS, MEDALS, OR NU-
MISMATIC ITEMS.— 
‘‘(A) 
DETERMINATION
OF
AVAILABLE 
ITEMS.—Upon taking possession, under para-
graph (1), of any coin, medal, numismatic item, 
or other piece produced by the United States 
Mint, the Secretary of the Treasury shall make 
a determination of the number and condition of 
the coins, medals, numismatic items, and pieces 
of the same denomination, quality, type, and 
year of production as the coin, medal, numis-
matic item, or piece referred to in such para-
graph, taking into account the most recent in-
ventory conducted in accordance with sub-
section (b). 
‘‘(B) HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND PUB-
LIC DISPLAY.—The Secretary shall ensure that 
an appropriate number of any coin, medal, nu-
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mismatic item, or other piece produced by the 
United States Mint of the same denomination, 
quality, type, and year of production that are in 
or come into the Secretary’s possession— 
‘‘(i) are retained for historical pur-
poses; and 
‘‘(ii) are made available for public 
viewing at such times and places as the 
Secretary, in the sole discretion of the Sec-
retary, determines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(C) SALE OF EXCESS AT PUBLIC AUC-
TION.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—If the Secretary 
determines that the number of any coins, 
medals, numismatic items, or other pieces 
produced by the United States Mint of the 
same denomination, quality, type, and year 
of production that are in the Secretary’s 
possession exceeds the number that are ap-
propriate for historic preservation and pub-
lic display under subparagraph (B), the 
Secretary may dispose of such excess, or 
such portion of the excess as the Secretary 
determines to be appropriate, at public 
auction. 
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‘‘(ii) PROCEEDS.—The proceeds from 
any auction conducted by the Secretary 
under clause (i) shall be deposited in a 
fund to be used for the preservation and 
display of such coins, medals, numismatic 
items, or other pieces produced by the 
United States Mint that remain in the pos-
session of the Secretary in a way that the 
Secretary, in consultation with the Con-
gress, determines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(D) STANDARDS.—In making any deter-
mination with regard to any public auction of 
coins, medals, numismatic items, or other pieces 
under subparagraph (C)(i), the following stand-
ards shall be taken into account by the Sec-
retary: 
‘‘(i) Maximum return to the Govern-
ment. 
‘‘(ii) Interest of the numismatic com-
munity in the sale and in the items to be 
offered for sale. 
‘‘(iii) Interest of the general public in 
the items to be offered for sale. 
‘‘(E) 
DESTRUCTION
OF
UNSOLD
EX-
CESS.—Any coins, medals, numismatic items, or 
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other pieces produced by the United States 
Mint that— 
‘‘(i) were determined by the Secretary, 
under subparagraph (C)(i) to be in excess 
of the number of such coins, medals, nu-
mismatic items, or pieces that are appro-
priate for historic preservation and public 
display under subparagraph (B); and 
‘‘(ii) remain unsold following an auc-
tion under such subparagraph, or were 
withheld from such auction by the Sec-
retary in accordance with subparagraph 
(C)(i), 
may be treated as obsolete and disposed of in 
the manner provided in section 5120. 
‘‘(3) REPORT TO THE CONGRESS.—In the event 
of the disposal pursuant to paragraph (2)(E) of any 
coins, medals, numismatic items, or other pieces pro-
duced by the United States Mint, the Secretary shall 
immediately report such disposal to the Committee 
on Financial Services of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs of the Senate. 
‘‘(4) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, the following definitions shall apply: 
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‘‘(A) NUMISMATIC ITEM.—The term ‘nu-
mismatic item’ includes any item that would be 
included within the meaning of such term under 
section 5134(a)(3) if the Secretary of the 
Treasury had the lawful authority to make the 
item when it was made. 
‘‘(B) COIN, MEDAL, NUMISMATIC ITEM, OR 
OTHER PIECE STRUCK OR MADE IN A UNITED 
STATES
MINT
FACILITY.—The terms ‘coin, 
medal, numismatic item, or other piece struck 
or made in a United States Mint facility’ and 
‘any coins, medals, numismatic items, or other 
pieces produced by the United States Mint’ do 
not include any item produced for a foreign 
country or any person.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for chapter 51, United States Code, is amended by insert-
ing after the item relating to section 5122 the following 
new item: 
‘‘Sec. 5123. Inventory and disposition of certain United States coins, medals, 
numismatic items, and other pieces produced by the United 
States Mint.’’. 
Æ 
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