LAWFUL MONEY

Any currency, in coin or paper form, that is issued by the United States Treasury, not the Federal Reserve System. It also includes gold and silver coins, treasury notes, and bonds. Lawful money is different from fiat money because the government assigns the value but has no own value and not backed by Fed. The dollar bills are not considered lawful money. Fiat money refers to legal tender like paper money, drafts, checks, and bank notes. Also called "specie", meaning "in actual form."