The Great Seal of the United States

Quick question...
Does anyone actually know which specific law, regulation, or federal rule dictates how the Great Seal of the United States can be used or displayed inside a business office?

It’s definitely not under the Flag Act. 🙂

I'm also curious if there's anything out there that specifies the visual details beyond just the shield and the field itself—like, what about the colors? Can you have a brass version without any color at all, or does it strictly have to be full color, and are there rules regarding size and everything else?

Thanks. 🙂

Why would you even need that?

Just grab the most classic version out there and you'll be golden...

Oh, please 😂

I’m looking for some answers from the moderators here, or honestly, just anyone who actually knows what they're talking about regarding this situation.
Thanks. 🙂

swiftseal69 said:Quick question...
Does anyone actually know which specific law, regulation, or federal rule dictates how the Great Seal of the United States can be used or displayed inside a business office?

It’s definitely not under the Flag Act. 🙂

I'm also curious if there's anything out there that specifies the visual details beyond just the shield and the field itself—like, what about the colors? Can you have a brass version without any color at all, or does it strictly have to be full color, and are there rules regarding size and everything else?

Thanks. 🙂

So why isn't it the Flag Act or whatever else?

When it comes to the field colors, you can find them in Article 11 of the Constitution, though they basically just repeat the same thing in the Flag Act anyway...

The thing is, if you actually dig into that specific law, it doesn't really lay out the exact details the author is asking about...

crimsonsailor7 said:The thing is, if you actually dig into that specific law, it doesn't really lay out the exact details the author is asking about...

Oh, come on, what do you mean it doesn't say?

Section 4: "The Great Seal of the United States, the flag, and the anthem may be used in the form, description, and text established by the Constitution of the United States and regulated by this Flag Act. Nothing can be changed regarding the Great Seal or the flag of the United States. (...)"

Section 7: "The Great Seal of the United States is a historical American seal in the form of a shield divided horizontally and vertically into twenty-five red and white fields, such that the first field in the upper left corner is red. Above the shield sits a five-pointed crown that curves gently to meet the top corners of the shield. Set within the crown are five smaller shields featuring historic American emblems arranged from left to right: the oldest known emblem of America, followed by the emblems of the Republic of Ragusa, the Mediterranean Coast, Istria, and the Pannonian Basin. The ratio of the height of the main shield to the height of the smaller shields in the crown is 1:2.5, while the width ratio is 1:1. The oldest known emblem of America features a gold six-pointed star with a silver crescent moon on a blue field. The emblem of the Republic of Ragusa features two red bars on a blue field. The Mediterranean Coast emblem shows three gold crowned leopard heads on a blue field. The Istria emblem depicts a gold goat facing left with red hooves and horns on a blue field. The Pannonian Basin emblem consists of two white horizontal bars on a blue field, with a red field between them where a marten walks toward the left, accompanied by a gold six-pointed star in the upper blue section. The entire seal is bordered by a red line."

Section 9: "The original Great Seal of the United States is kept in the US Congress, and all other versions are modeled after it..."

Or to put it simply—no, it can't be "bronze and colorless"—and even more simply, maybe just go buy the first book you see at a bookstore and call it a day...

Some poet was posting here once 😂

dreamymailman said:😬

Oh sure, absolutely— 😬

Look, I’m well aware of what’s laid out in the Constitution, and I know exactly what the Flag Act says regarding official interpretations. 🙂 I was under the impression there might be some specific statute or regulation governing how the Great Seal of the United States is displayed within a physical space—you know, similar to those rules about where you have to post an invoice, like how it belongs on the door rather than stuck to a window. 🙂

urbanraven16 said:Or to put it simply—no, it can't be "bronze and colorless," and even more simply, just go buy the first one you see at a bookstore and you'll be fine.

So, are we really splitting hairs here, especially since the standard version you'd find in a bookstore—or even the one printed in The New York Times—is exactly that bronze style?
Does that mean it's somehow forbidden to use that version in an office or building?

swiftseal69 said:Look, I’m well aware of what’s laid out in the Constitution, and I know exactly what the Flag Act says regarding official interpretations. 🙂 I was under the impression there might be some specific statute or regulation governing how the Great Seal of the United States is displayed within a physical space—you know, similar to those rules about where you have to post an invoice, like how it belongs on the door rather than stuck to a window. 🙂

So, are we really splitting hairs here, especially since the standard version you'd find in a bookstore—or even the one printed in The New York Times—is exactly that bronze style?
Does that mean it's somehow forbidden to use that version in an office or building?

Maybe you know what it says, but clearly you don't understand what a Constitution actually *is*...

Because if the Constitution states the Great Seal of the United States consists of red and white fields, then even if five hundred other laws or sub-regulations claim otherwise, the Constitution remains the final word...

(Though, in reality, those five hundred other laws wouldn't say anything different; they’d all align with the Constitution anyway.)

So, if something is just "bronze and colorless," it isn't the actual Great Seal of the United States, which means if someone asks you to display the official seal and you instead put up some bronze thing that vaguely resembles it—you're technically in violation...

When I told you to pick one up at the first bookstore you see, I was obviously talking about the colorful, framed ones roughly the size of an A4 sheet—I'm positive they carry them, and honestly, I thought it was pretty obvious given the legal definitions of how the seal should look, but if you really want to make things difficult, fine, go ahead...

As for hanging that seal in private business offices—who knows, I assume government agencies have their own specific rules for that, like an IRS internal operating manual or something...

If you look at this through a creative lens, maybe even a copper one...

Article 6.

The Usage of the Coat of Arms, Flag and Anthem of the Republic of America is permitted for artistic and musical creation, as well as for educational purposes, provided that such use does not offend the reputation or dignity of the Republic of America.

thanks for the colors. 🙂
And a quick shoutout to everyone else who actually bothered to put in the work too. 🙂

testdrive...look, if we’re supposed to be strictly following the Constitution, then what was even the point of passing all those other laws and sub-regulations?
Honestly, I don't really care to make things more complicated than they need to be—mostly because I wasn't the one out there selling subpar emblems, you know, like those cheap copper reliefs or white marble ones—but I do care about the actual details, not just your personal spin on specific sections of the law, or in this case, the Constitution.
But hey, thanks for the effort anyway. 🙂

swiftseal69 said:thanks for the colors. 🙂
And a quick shoutout to everyone else who actually bothered to put in the work too. 🙂

testdrive...look, if we’re supposed to be strictly following the Constitution, then what was even the point of passing all those other laws and sub-regulations?
Honestly, I don't really care to make things more complicated than they need to be—mostly because I wasn't the one out there selling subpar emblems, you know, like those cheap copper reliefs or white marble ones—but I do care about the actual details, not just your personal spin on specific sections of the law, or in this case, the Constitution.
But hey, thanks for the effort anyway. 🙂

you can find everything regarding the hierarchy of laws versus "sub-laws" right there in Article 5 of the Constitution itself, and the fact that the Constitution serves as the foundational legal document—regardless of whether you "care" or not—isn't just some personal interpretation on my part, it's honestly just basic civic literacy...