Why Do Coins Have Ridges?

 

Why Do Coins Have Ridges?

To the casual observer, coins are just coins. But if you’ve been around enough coins, you may start to notice a few of their design quirks, strange qualities that make you wonder how they came to be. For new coin collectors, ridges are one such quality. Ridges, often also called reeding, refer to the small slits in the metal surrounding a coin on its edges. 

These markings appear on all modern U.S. Mint bullion coins, but they’re also on every circulating coin, except for pennies, nickels, and some modern dollar coins. So, what gives? Why do coins have ridges? Although coin ridges may seem like a distinctly modern invention, the beginning of this common coinage feature actually brings us all the way back to the late 1600s. 

Toward the end of the 17th century, British coin-makers introduced coin ridges as a method of preventing “clipping,” which happens when a fraudster shaves the edges down on a coin to steal some of the precious metal it contains. In fact, the most likely inventor of coin reeding should be a familiar name to fans of science – Isaac Newton.

On this page, learn about the history of coin reeding, why modern coins often feature coin ridges, and the role that reeding plays in securing your investments against theft.

What Are Coin Ridges?

Coin ridges, also known as reeding, are vertical indents placed on a coin’s edge during the minting process. Each ridge generally extends from the top of the coin’s obverse to the top of its reverse, and most coins feature a large number of ridges. 

You’ll find coin ridges on most bullion coins, including all gold, silver, and platinum coins produced by the United States Mint. Other sovereign mints also utilize reeding on their coins. In many countries, circulating coinage, or coins meant for use by the general public, also features a reeding effect. 

As we’ll discuss more later on this guide, you may notice that some of your coins appear to be missing a ridge. Don’t worry, there’s no need to stress! Some gold and silver coins include missing ridges as an added security feature to deter would-be counterfeiters, making it easier for experts to identify when a fake has appeared on the market. 

Here’s Why Coins Have Ridges

Now that you know what ridges are on coins, it’s time to address a common question we receive from new investors and coin collectors. 

Why do coins have ridges? Coin ridges help to prevent clipping, the process of shaving down the smooth edges of a silver, gold, or platinum coin in order to steal some of the precious metal it contains. Because it is difficult to replicate the genuine ridges of most coins by hand, adding reeding to a coin makes it more difficult to clip than a coin with a smooth edge.

Nowadays, most circulating coins with reeding feature ridges because of tradition, since these coins seldom contain precious metals worth clipping. Modern bullion coins can also include unique ridging to deter counterfeiters. 

Preventing Coin “Clipping”

The main reason why coins have ridges is to prevent coin clipping. In the late 17th century, Sir Isaac Newton, who was the Warden of the Royal Mint at the time, invented coin reeding in order to combat coin clipping. Coin clipping had become a major problem in Great Britain at the time, since Britain’s coins featured smooth edges. 

These smooth edges made it easy for thieves to simply shave the gold or silver off of a coin before using it to purchase a product or service. Then, the person accepting the payment would be receiving less metal for their goods, and the thief would have an additional bit of gold or silver.

Newton’s invention was a success. Centuries later, nearly every country in the world either currently uses reeding on circulating coins or has in the past. This is true in the United States, despite the fact that our circulating coins are no longer minted with precious metals worth clipping.

More About Coin Clipping 

Coin clipping, also called coin shaving, is the act of debasing a coin by shaving part of the metal off of its edges. This can be an effective way for thieves or fraudsters to generate extra wealth, since it can be hard to detect a shaved coin if the coin is completely smooth on its edges to begin with. 

Shaving is seldom a problem on modern coinage for a couple of reasons.

First, most modern coins include reeding, which deters coin clippers by making it very obvious if someone has attempted to shave the edge off of a coin. 

Second, most circulating coins are now made with inexpensive base metals. This means that it’s simply not profitable for thieves to shave down a U.S. dime or quarter-dollar, for example, since the metal yield from these coins is so inexpensive. 

Counterfeit Deterrence 

On modern bullion coins like the American Gold Eagle, reeding can also be an effective way to prevent and discourage counterfeiting. Obviously, adding reeding to the edge of a coin makes it more difficult for counterfeiters to effectively and convincingly mimic the design of the coin they’re attempting to counterfeit. 

Missing Ridges and Counterfeit Prevention 

But modern bullion coins sometimes have an additional built-in defense against counterfeiting: missing reeds. Some U.S. coins are occasionally minted with one ridge missing. If a sophisticated counterfeiter produces a coin that is supposed to be missing a ridge with all of its ridges, then experts can quickly confirm that they’re dealing with a fake.

Coins Without Ridges

Up until relatively recently, only two U.S. coins were minted without reeding and with smooth edges. These coins were the nickel and penny, worth $0.05 and $0.01, respectively. Modern dollar coins, including the Sacagawea dollar, are also now sometimes minted with smooth edges instead of reeding. 

Coin reeding can also have a little-known benefit for blind people. In the United States, identifying reeding on a coin can help visually impaired Americans differentiate between dimes and pennies, the two smallest circulating coins. If somebody who is blind receives a small coin and feels the reeding, they know that it’s a dime. And if this same blind person receives a small coin without reeding, they’ll know it’s a penny!

When Did Coin Ridging Begin?

Coin ridges were invented in the 17th century, and most historians believe that scientist and Master of the Royal Mint Isaac Newton was responsible for the innovation. Newton was a prolific leader at the Royal Mint, and he wanted a way to combat coin shaving, which had become a large and costly problem in Great Britain. 

Newton began adding small indentations on the edges of British coins. The result? It became much more difficult for thieves to easily clip coins – and much easier for citizens and law enforcement officers to confirm when a coin has been clipped or shaved. 

The invention was a massive success, and many coins produced around the world today still include reeding.

Final Thoughts: Coin Ridges and Coin Security

To new coin collectors, the ridges on a coin may seem strange. In reality, coin ridges were invented to make it more difficult for thieves to shave the precious metals off of the edges of circulating coins, which was a major problem when coin reeding was conceived way back in the 17th century. 

Most circulating coins today have little use for reeding, since they’re no longer made with valuable metals like gold and silver. Instead, coin reeding can help blind people identify which coins they’ve received by touch rather than sight. On modern bullion coins, reeding helps deter both counterfeiting and coin shaving. 

Next time you hold a reeded coin in your hands, just think – you’re holding one of Isaac Newton’s most popular inventions!

You might also be interested in:

• The Untold Story of How Isaac Newton Saved British Coinage
• The Anatomy of a Coin | An Illustrated Guide to the Parts of a Coin
• Surprising Facts About Gold: From Ancient Coins to Space Asteroids