The words “2.5 percent” are substituted for “twenty-five thousandths” for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code. The word “bars” is substituted for “ingots” for consistency in the revised chapter. The words “Secretary shall use” are substituted for “shall be used” because of the source provisions restated in section 321 of the revised title. In subsection (b), the words “In minting 5-cent coins” are substituted for “in minor-coinage alloys” in 31:346 because 5-cent coins are the minor coins composed of nickel. The words “3.11 grams” are substituted for “forty-eight grains” for consistency in the revised chapter. The words “except as provided under subsection (c) of this section” are added for clarity and because of the restatement. In clause (6), the words “that is 0.75 inch in diameter” are added because the Secretary has prescribed the diameter and the diameter of a coin may not be changed under 31:276. The words “5 grams” are substituted for “seventy-seven and sixteen-hundredths grains troy” for consistency in the revised chapter. In clause (5), the words “that is 0.835 inch in diameter” are added because the Secretary of the Treasury has prescribed the diameter and the diameter of a coin may not be changed under 31:276.
In subsection (a), the words before clause (1) are added because of the restatement. However, to prevent or alleviate a shortage of a denomination, the Secretary may inscribe coins of the denomination with the year that was last inscribed on coins of the denomination. The coins have an inscription of the year of minting or issuance. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Congress, shall select appropriate designs for the obverse and reverse sides of the dollar coin. Subject to other provisions of this subsection, the obverse of any 5-cent coin issued after December 31, 2005, shall bear the likeness of Thomas Jefferson and the reverse of any such 5-cent coin shall bear an image of the home of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. The design on the reverse side of the dollar, half dollar, and quarter dollar is an eagle. The reverse side of each coin shall have the inscriptions “United States of America” and “E Pluribus Unum” and a designation of the value of the coin. The obverse side of each coin shall have the inscription “Liberty”. United States coins shall have the inscription “In God We Trust”. The specifications for alloys are by weight. In minting gold coins, the Secretary shall use alloys that vary not more than 0.1 percent from the percent of gold required.
Except as provided under subsection (c) of this section, the one-cent coin is an alloy of 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc. In minting 5-cent coins, the Secretary shall use bars that vary not more than 2.5 percent from the percent of nickel required. The 5-cent coin is an alloy of 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel.
The dollar coin shall be golden in color, have a distinctive edge, have tactile and visual features that make the denomination of the coin readily discernible, be minted and fabricated in the United States, and have similar metallic, anti-counterfeiting properties as United States coinage in circulation on the date of enactment of the United States $1 Coin Act of 1997. The outer layers are metallurgically bonded to the inner layer and weigh at least 30 percent of the weight of the coin. The 2 identical outer layers are an alloy of 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel. The half dollar, quarter dollar, and dime coins are clad coins with 3 layers of metal.