Why are coins reeded

Join Our Newsletter. Sign up and get a free price quote for your custom coins. Leave a comment. Written by Gibson Olpp. Download Our Catalog. Recent Articles. Popular Articles. Related posts. Challenge Coins and a Splash of Color. Cassey Gibson July Reply. David Pfaffenbach December Reply. I found a dime that has a reeded edge and also a deeper face set p. Rach Blake December Reply. Sally Davis January Reply. I have a Georgia coin that has a band no ridges will not fit in laundry machine… reject.

Jamie R Edwards November Reply. Kurt Leeb February Reply. Good question Kurt! Leave a Reply Cancel reply. The dimes made by the Philadelphia Mint in those same years have thin, tightly-spaced reeds. Things are a little more standardized now and the Mint lists its reeding specifications as follows: dimes, ; quarters, ; half dollars, ; dollar, ; Susan B.

Anthony dollar, BY Matt Soniak. How do ridges prevent fraud? Wait, are people still clipping coins? I can't stand the suspense. How many ridges are on my quarter? Big Questions. The reeded edge of a coin is the series of grooved lines that encircle the perimeter of some U. If you inspect other coins, you will see that some of them don't have any reeding on the edge of the coin. Additionally, you may find coins that have words or symbols on the edge. Regardless of what adorns the edge of a coin, it's there for a purpose.

Those small grooves that you find on the edge of a coin are usually added during the striking process. Coin dies produce the obverse and the reverse of the coin. To hold the coin securely during the striking process, a metal collar that is the exact diameter of the finished coin is placed in between the two coin dies.

This very tight tolerance forces the metal during the strike into the deepest recesses of the coin die instead of squishing out the side. A planchet is placed on top of the anvil die and held securely by the collar. The collar has a series of small grooves carved into it around the entire circumference.

When the planchet is struck at enormous pressure, the metal in the coin tries to expand out the side but is held in place by the collar. The tiny grooves on the collar are now transferred to the edge of the coin.