Coin Ridges: A 1600s Anti-Theft Invention That Still Protects Currency Today
The tiny ridges on the edges of dimes and quarters were not designed for grip — they date back to the 1600s as a defence against "coin clipping," the practice of shaving precious metal from gold and silver coins. Ridged edges make any such tampering immediately visible, rendering clipped coins detectable. This anti-fraud innovation has survived largely unchanged for over 400 years.
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