Massachusetts General Laws Part IV. Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases (Ch. 263-280) Ch. 266, § 77

Whoever makes or sells, or offers to sell or dispose of, or has in his possession with intent so to do, any article of merchandise marked, stamped or branded with the words “sterling”, “sterling silver”, “coin” or “coin silver”, or encased or enclosed in any box, package, cover or wrapper or other thing in or by 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, engraving or printing, that such article is silver, sterling silver, solid silver, coin or coin silver, shall, unless nine hundred and twenty-five one-thousandths of the component parts of the metal of which the said article so marked, stamped or branded with the words “sterling” or “sterling silver” is manufactured are pure silver, or unless nine hundred one-thousandths of the component parts of the metal of which the article so marked, stamped or branded with the words “coin” or “coin silver” is manufactured, are pure silver, be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars.