Why dimes, quarters, and half dollars have grooved edges

LOUISIANA (WNTZ) – If you still happen to keep coins in your pocket, you may notice an important difference along their edges.

Dimes, quarters and half dollars have rows of narrow grooves, while pennies and nickels have smooth edges. Those grooves, officially known as “reeds,” originated as an anti-theft measure centuries ago.

Early coins were commonly made from valuable metals such as gold and silver. Because the value of a coin was closely tied to the amount of precious metal it contained, some people would shave or file small pieces from the edges.

The metal could then be collected and sold while the altered coin continued to circulate at its full-face value. Instances of the like led to The Great Recoinage of 1696, according to the Atkinson Bullion. The practice became known as coin clipping.

Mints began adding grooves, lettering and other markings to coin edges to make tampering easier to detect. A person receiving a coin could quickly see whether........

© The Hill