According to the United States Mint ridges were added to the coins’ edges to prevent people from shaving the precious metal out of the sides. You see, back in the 18th century, dimes, quarters and half-dollars coins were actually made out of gold and silver.
Why are the edges of coins notched?
The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders of such coins from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half-dollars are notched because they contain silver.
Why do some coins have ridges and some dont?
The reason why today’s pennies and nickels have no ridges is due to the lower value. It actually costs more to produce the penny than the coin is worth itself, meaning that the copper within the coin is more valuable than the actual coin.
What coins have ridged edges?
Pictured above are the four most common U.S. coins — from top to bottom, a dime, penny, nickel, and finally, a quarter — seen from their edges. You’ll note that the edge of both the dime and quarter have ridges, little grooves running perpendicular to the coin face. The penny and nickel, though, have a smooth edge.
What does notched edge mean?
notched – having an irregularly notched or toothed margin as though gnawed. erose, jaggy, jagged, toothed. rough – of the margin of a leaf shape; having the edge cut or fringed or scalloped.
What is a reeded edge?
The reeded edge of a coin is the series of grooved lines that encircle the perimeter of some U.S. coins, such as the dime, quarter and half dollar. If you inspect other coins, you will see that some of them don’t have any reeding on the edge of the coin.
How many ridges are on the side of a dime?
One of the fun facts I learned from the Money Smart Week exhibit at the library is that dimes have 118 ridges or grooves and quarters have 119.
How many ridges does a dollar coin have?
Things are a little more standardized now and the Mint lists its reeding specifications as follows: dimes, 118; quarters, 119; half dollars, 150; dollar, 198; Susan B. Anthony dollar, 133.
What kind of coins have ridges on the edges?
Pictured above are the four most common U.S. coins — from top to bottom, a dime, penny, nickel, and finally, a quarter — seen from their edges. You’ll note that the edge of both the dime and quarter have ridges, little grooves running perpendicular to the coin face. The penny and nickel, though, have a smooth edge.
What are the ridges on the nickel and dime?
You’ll note that the edge of both the dime and quarter have ridges, little grooves running perpendicular to the coin face. The penny and nickel, though, have a smooth edge. This is something you’ve probably noticed before if you handle American coins regularly, but like many design choices, probably not one you gave a second thought.
Why are there ridges on the edges of quarters?
According to the U.S. Mint, ridges were added to the edges of quarters (aka reeded edges) to help prevent fraud and counterfeiting. Up until about 50 years ago, quarters were minuted with actual silver in them.
What can you do with reeded edges on coins?
Reeded edges on coins prevent people from being able to shave valuable precious metal (silver, gold, etc.) out of the sides of a coin (aka coin clipping ). These shavings can be combined with shavings from other coins and melted down and sold.
