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Ventnor City, NJ
Atlantic County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (27) Index Notes (5)
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the City of Ventnor City 12-20-1982 by Ord. No. 8238. Amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
MERCHANT
One who purchases precious metals from the public and sells or otherwise exchanges or trades the precious metals to refiners or brokers, or makes appraisals of the precious metals, or otherwise conveys, melts down or alters said precious metals in any form.
PRECIOUS METALS
Gold, silver, platinum and their alloys as defined in N.J.S.A. 51:5-1 et seq. and N.J.S.A. 51:6-1 et seq.
PURCHASE
Not only the exchange of money for precious metals, but the exchange or trading of any other tangible or intangible property for precious metals.
SECONDHAND GOODS
Goods which have been previously owned, worn or used by another; not new.
Every merchant within the City of Ventnor City shall, upon the purchase of any precious metals or secondhand goods from the public, be required to do as follows:
A. 
Record on a numbered receipt the name, address and telephone number of the purchaser; the name, address and telephone number of the seller or sellers; the time and date of the transaction; the net weight in terms of pounds troy, pennyweight troy or kilograms/grams of the precious metals; fineness in terms of karat for gold, and sterling or coin for silver in accordance with N.J.S.A. 51:5-1 et seq. and N.J.S.A. 51:6-1 et seq.
B. 
Supply to the Chief of Police of the City of Ventnor City within two days of the date of purchase, on a form approved by the City of Ventnor City, the information contained in Subsection A above, plus the following:
(1) 
A physical description of the seller.
(2) 
The receipt number.
(3) 
A full description of the item or items purchased, including, but not limited to, marks, numbers, dates, sizes, shapes, initials and monograms.
(4) 
The price paid for the item.
(5) 
The form must be signed by the seller and initialed by the clerk who made the transaction.
C. 
Make the precious metals and secondhand goods available for inspection by the Chief of Police of Ventnor City or his designated representative for a period of seven days from the date the information required above is received by the Chief of Police on the approved form. The precious metals and secondhand goods shall remain in the same condition as when purchased and shall not be changed, modified, melted or disposed of by the purchaser until the seven-day period has expired. During this seven-day period the precious metals and secondhand goods shall be placed in public view at the purchaser's place of business. If the property is such that it would create a hardship on the merchant by holding the precious metals for such period, the merchant may present the property to the Chief of Police or his representative in order that it may be photographed and, if deemed necessary by the Chief of Police or his designated representative, an investigation be implemented. The Chief of Police or his designated representative has the authority to grant the merchant a waiver of the requirement under this section.
This chapter shall not apply to purchases made by jewelers or other merchants from wholesalers or other suppliers, but shall only apply to those purchases made from the public or other retail purchases. The merchant shall keep records of all wholesale purchases for a period of six months from the date of such purchase, which records shall be opened to investigation by the Ventnor City Police Department.
No merchant within the City of Ventnor City shall purchase any precious metals or secondhand goods from any person under the age of 18 years.
[Amended 2-2-1989 by Ord. No. 8903; 1-9-1997 by Ord. No. 9616]
Any violation of this chapter shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both, for a first offense. For a second or subsequent offense, any violation of this chapter shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for a period of not more than three months, or both. In addition to or as a substitute for the previously mentioned fine, the imposition of community service shall be authorized as an additional penalty, which community service shall not exceed 90 days.