Chap. 315.—An ACT to regulate the sale of goods marked “ sterling,” “ sterling
silver,” or “coin silver,’ and to regulate the sale of merchandise made of gold.

Approved February 13, 1896.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That a per-
son who makes or sells, or offers to sell or dispose of, or has in his
possession with intent to sell or dispose of, any article of merchan-
dise, marked, stamped or branded with the words “sterling,” or
“ sterling silver,” or encased or enclosed in any box, package, cover
or wrapper, or other thing in, by or which the said article is packed,
enclosed, or otherwise prepared for sale or disposition, having thereon
any engraving or printed label, stamp, imprint, mark or trade-mark,
indicating or denoting by such marking, stamping, branding, en-
graving or printing that such article is silver, sterling silver, or solid
silver, unless nine hundred and twenty-five one-thousandths part of
the component parts of the metal of which the said article manufac-
tured is pure silver, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction
thereof shall be fined not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than
one hundred and fifty dollars, and, in default of payment, be confined
in jail not less than ten nor more than sixty days, or both.

2. A person who makes or sells, or offers to sell or dispose of, or
has in his, possession with intent to sell or dispose of, any article of
merchandise marked, stamped or branded with words “ coin ” or “ coin
silver,” or encased or enclosed in any box, package, cover or wrapper or
other thing in, by, or which the said article is packed, enclosed or
otherwise prepared for sale or disposition, having thereon any en-
graving or printed label, stamp, imprint, mark, or trade-mark, indi-
cating or denoting by such marking, stamping, branding, engraving
or printing that such article is coin or coin silver, unless nine hun-
dred one-thousandths part of the component parts of the metal of
which the said article is manufactured is pure silver, is guilty of a
misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be fined not less than
twenty-five dollars nor more than one hundred and fifty dollars, and,
in default of payment, be confined in jail not less than ten nor more
than sixty days, or both.

3. Any person who makes or sells, or offers to sell or dispose of, or
has in his possession with intent to sell or dispose of, any article of
merchandise made of gold of a less carat of fineness than is
stamped or marked on it, or of a less carat of fineness than is en-
graved, printed, stamped or imprinted on the tag, card, box, label,
package, wrapper, cover or other thing in, by, or which the said arti-
cle is packed, enclosed or otherwise prepared for sale or disposition,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall
be fined not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than one hundred
and fifty dollars for such offence, and, in default of payment, be con-
fined in jail not less than ten nor more than sixty days, or both.

4. This act shall be in force from its passage.