Coin edge

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Coin edge inscription mill Coin edge enscription mill.jpg
Coin edge inscription mill

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.

Contents

Reeded edges are often referred to as "ridged" or "grooved" (US usage), or "milled" (UK usage). [1] Some coins, such as United States quarters and dimes, have reeded edges. Reeding of edges was introduced to prevent coin clipping and counterfeiting. [2] [3]

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.

Inscriptions

Dieu protegelaFrance
"God protect France" on the edge of 1873 five-franc coins 5 franc, 1873 (Hercule) - French Fifth Republic (Coin edges) 3.jpg
Dieu★ protège★la★France★★★ "God protect France" on the edge of 1873 five-franc coins

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.

Coin edge patterns

Examples of patterns used on coin edges include:

See also

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References

  1. Concise Oxford Dictionary (2006): mill, produce regular ribbed markings on the edge of (a coin)
  2. "About.com: "Reeded Edge Defined - What is a Reeded Edge?"". Archived from the original on 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  3. Why do some coins have ridges around the edges?