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Reeding (the little grooves or bumps on the edges of many coins) was originally used on precious-metal coins to prevent people from scraping small amounts off the edges, a practice called clipping or shaving. When coins weren't reeded crooks would sell the shavings for their precious-metal content. Removal of small amounts would be hard to detect on individual coins but done over hundreds or even thousands, it could add up to a significant theft. Reeding made it much more obvious that a coin had been shaved; anyone spending large numbers of shaved coins could be identified much more easily.
Today coins are reeded either as a matter of tradition or to make them easier for visually-limited people to identify by touch. When the US stopped making silver coins in the mid-1960s the same dies were used to produce the new cupronickel pieces. As a result current US dimes, quarters, and half dollars still have the same number and type of reeds as their silver predecessors. But when the new Sacajawea and Presidential dollars were introduced there was no silver predecessor coin of that diameter so they have smooth edges to help distinguish them from quarters and halves.
Other countries make much more elaborate use of reeding and other edge designs. For example many EU coins are similar in size, so they're made of different metals and have different edges to make them stand out regardless of a person's eyesight. 1 and 5 cent coins have smooth edges, 2 cent coins have a lateral groove, 10, 20, and 50 cent coins have wide reeding while €1 and €2 coins have narrow reeding.
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When did they start adding ridges to dimes and quarter coins?
The idea of adding reeding along the rim of coins, to thwart shaving or "clipping" part of the metal, is attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, who was Master of the Royal Mint in Britain from 1699 to 1727. Other techniques had been tried in various countries prior to that time.In the United States, coins have been known to have reeded edges as early as 1795. (There are four specimens of the 1795 Large Cent with reeded edges--one has recently sold for over $1 million).The US Dime and Quarter Dollar have had reeded edges from their inception in 1796.Today, the reeding is purely decorative, as there is no incentive to "clip" cladded coins like quarters and dimes.
What do you call the ridges on the edge of a coin?
A coin with these has 'reeded' edges. Reeds were first put on the edges of coins back in the days when coins contained precious metals such as gold or silver. It was a common practice for crooks to shave off a tiny amount of metal all the way around the rim of a lot of coins, collect the shavings, and sell them to a metal dealer. However, shaving a coin with a reeded edge would immediately be obvious and the police or mint officials would know that someone was committing fraud.
What do you call the ridges on the sides of coins?
According to the United States mint, ridged or "reeded" edges serve two purposes. Originally, reeded edges made coins harder to counterfeit, they also prevented people from filing down or "clipping" the coins. In 1793, the first U.S. coins were linked to a silver standard. A half dollar contained half as much silver as a silver dollar, a quarter contained one-fourth, and so on. The ridged edges prevented people from shaving the coins' edges for extra silver. Over a short time they would have a pile of silver or gold shavings and the coins returned to circulation would be light, but still, usually accepted at face value. While coins these days aren't made of precious metals, the government decided to keep the reeded edges on certain coins to help the visually impaired. The dime and the penny, for example, are roughly the same size, so the ridges help people distinguish them. Bonus fact: The movie cliche of biting a gold coin is not to verify that it is real gold. Gold coins are tooth-breakingly hard. The practice was to check for another nasty gold-thieving technique of hollowing out coins. If a coin collapsed when bit, you knew it had been emptied of its core metal.
What does reeding mean in coins?
Reeding is the type of textured or grooved edges on some coins. U.S. dimes and quarters are reeded, but cents and nickels are not. The reason some coins have reeding is because when coins were made of precious metals like gold and silver, sometimes people would shave off a little of the coin to keep for themselves, to collect and sell at another time. By adding reeds, coins couldn't be altered without noticeable marks.
Why do dimes Quarters and half dollars have notches?
The half-dollar, quarter, and ten-cent coin denominations were originally produced from precious metals. Reeded edges were eventually incorporated into the design of these denominations to deter counterfeiting and the fraudulent use of the coins, such as filing down the edges in an attempt to recover the precious metals. Currently, none of the coins produced for circulation contain precious metals. However, the continued use of reeded edges on current circulating coinage of larger denominations is useful to the visually impaired. For example, the ten-cent and one-cent coins are similar in size; the reeding of the ten-cent coin makes it easily identifiable by touch.
What coins have notched edges?
The actual term is "reeded" rather than "notched". Reeded edges were once used to prevent thieves from clipping coins, that is, shaving metal from the edges where it wouldn't be noticed. If you're referring to US coins, all former silver and gold coins had reeded edges to prevent clipping of those precious metals. Today dimes, quarters, and half dollars are reeded simply because their designs haven't been significantly changed since the days they were made of silver. The brass $1 coins introduced in 2000 are a new size and design, and have smooth edges to help differentiate them from the other denominations. Many countries now use variations of standard reeding to help make their coins distinguishable by touch as well as sight, especially if they're similar in size. For example some euro coins have wide reeding, others have very narrow reeding, and still others have what's called "interrupted" reeding with interspersed smooth spaces.
What are the notches on the nickel and on other coins?
The technical name for "notches" on the edge of a coin is reeding, but neither US nor Canadian nickels have reeded edges.When coins contained precious metals like silver and gold, they were reeded to prevent people from shaving them. Before reeding was introduced crooks would use a knife or file to remove a small amount of metal from the edge, where it wasn't easily noticed. By shaving a large number of coins they could make a reasonable profit from reselling the metal. The addition of reeding made it obvious when coins were being shaved and were a flag to law-enforcement authorities.Even though modern coins aren't made of precious metals many continue to be reeded, either out of tradition or to help people with limited vision identify coins by touch. For example, European coins use narrow reeds, wide reeds, and partial reeds to make similar-size coins readily distinguishable.
When did they start adding ridges to dimes and quarter coins?
The idea of adding reeding along the rim of coins, to thwart shaving or "clipping" part of the metal, is attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, who was Master of the Royal Mint in Britain from 1699 to 1727. Other techniques had been tried in various countries prior to that time.In the United States, coins have been known to have reeded edges as early as 1795. (There are four specimens of the 1795 Large Cent with reeded edges--one has recently sold for over $1 million).The US Dime and Quarter Dollar have had reeded edges from their inception in 1796.Today, the reeding is purely decorative, as there is no incentive to "clip" cladded coins like quarters and dimes.
What is reeding?
A form of ribbed decoration. I know that in the minting of coins a reeded edge is used on the dime, quarter, half-dollar, and Susan B. Anthony dollar coin..
What are the ridges on the side of some coins called?
There are a number of ways that people have referred to it but the two most common is known as reeding or a reeded edge or milling and a milled edge.
When did coin reeding first start?
Reeding the edges of coins began to prevent "shaving". Early coins were made from gold and silver and the grooves were added to stop people from filing down the edges to recover the precious metals. Reeded coins go as far back as the 1820's.
What do you call the ridges on the edge of a coin?
A coin with these has 'reeded' edges. Reeds were first put on the edges of coins back in the days when coins contained precious metals such as gold or silver. It was a common practice for crooks to shave off a tiny amount of metal all the way around the rim of a lot of coins, collect the shavings, and sell them to a metal dealer. However, shaving a coin with a reeded edge would immediately be obvious and the police or mint officials would know that someone was committing fraud.
Why do coins have a pattern on their edge?
Coins such as dimes and quarters have what's called "reeded" edges. This idea dates back to when coins contained precious metals like gold or silver. Sometimes people would shave off a bit of the coin to keep for themselves. By adding reeding, it prevents it from happening.
How many ridges on a 20c piece?
Another difference was that the 20-cent coins had a smooth edge while the other silver denominations featured a reeded, or milled, edge. Therefore 'none' is the answer.
What do you call the ridges on the sides of coins?
According to the United States mint, ridged or "reeded" edges serve two purposes. Originally, reeded edges made coins harder to counterfeit, they also prevented people from filing down or "clipping" the coins. In 1793, the first U.S. coins were linked to a silver standard. A half dollar contained half as much silver as a silver dollar, a quarter contained one-fourth, and so on. The ridged edges prevented people from shaving the coins' edges for extra silver. Over a short time they would have a pile of silver or gold shavings and the coins returned to circulation would be light, but still, usually accepted at face value. While coins these days aren't made of precious metals, the government decided to keep the reeded edges on certain coins to help the visually impaired. The dime and the penny, for example, are roughly the same size, so the ridges help people distinguish them. Bonus fact: The movie cliche of biting a gold coin is not to verify that it is real gold. Gold coins are tooth-breakingly hard. The practice was to check for another nasty gold-thieving technique of hollowing out coins. If a coin collapsed when bit, you knew it had been emptied of its core metal.
Why are there lines on the edges of Australian coins?
The lines on the edge of a coin are called "Milling" or "Reeding". These days, it has a decorative function. In the old days, it was done to prevent "clipping", which is the shaving off of the precious metal used to make the coin. Many countries produce coins with a "milled" or "reeded" edge.
What does reeding mean in coins?
Reeding is the type of textured or grooved edges on some coins. U.S. dimes and quarters are reeded, but cents and nickels are not. The reason some coins have reeding is because when coins were made of precious metals like gold and silver, sometimes people would shave off a little of the coin to keep for themselves, to collect and sell at another time. By adding reeds, coins couldn't be altered without noticeable marks.
