Numismatic Rarities Certainty Act of 2006

The Numismatic Rarities Certainty Act of 2006 (H.R. 5077) was designed to clarify the legal ownership of rare historical U.S. coins and medals. The bill would have established that any government-made coin or numismatic item produced before 1933 that was not currently in the government’s possession would be legally considered private property rather than government property.

For citizens and collectors, this legislation aimed to provide legal protection against the government seizing rare coins that may have left the U.S. Mint through unofficial channels decades ago. Additionally, the bill would have required the Treasury Department to inventory its own rare coin holdings and established guidelines for the public display or auction of rare items produced after 1932 that were never officially issued.