Coin edge
Textured edge of a coin, sometimes lettered
Coin edges are the parts of a coin's surface between the faces; they may be plain (smooth) or patterned, or a combination of both. They can also include lettering.
Reeded edges are often referred to as "ridged" or "grooved" (US usage), or "milled" (UK usage). Some coins, such as United States quarters and dimes, have reeded edges. Reeding of edges was introduced to prevent coin clipping and counterfeiting.
The main techniques of coin edging are edge mills of various types, which put a pattern on a smooth edge, after a coin and coin mills with edge rings, which pattern the edge at the time when the coin is being milled.
01Inscriptions
Examples of edge inscriptions or edge lettering include e pluribus unum on the edge of U.S. Presidential dollar coins, various national €2 edge inscriptions, and various phrases on the UK one pound coin, most commonly decus et tutamen. Inscriptions are more common on thicker, higher-value, or non-circulating coins.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Coin edge”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Coin edge enscription mill.jpg by The original uploader was Rosser1954 at English Wikipedia. (Original text: Rosser1954 - Roger Griffith), Public domain
- 5 franc, 1873 (Hercule) - French Fifth Republic (Coin edges) 3.jpg by Петров Эдуард, CC0
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