ABSTRACT
Moss v Hancock (1899) A thief stole a £5 gold coin and sold it to a curiosity shop for its face value. In fact the coin had been presented to the owner as a gift and was worth considerably more than its face value, although it was good tender. The thief was caught and convicted; under the Larceny Act 1861 stolen money could be returned to its original owner provided that it had not passed into general circulation. So the court had to decide whether the thief had spent the coin as money, or sold it as a good.
