Why are there 118 ridges on a dime?

Why are there 118 ridges on a dime?

Why does a dime have 118 ridges? According to the United States Mint ridges were added to the coins’ edges to prevent people from shaving the precious metal out of the sides. You see, back in the 18th century, dimes, quarters and half-dollars coins were actually made out of gold and silver.

What are the ridges on the dime called?

If you look closely at a quarter or a dime, you’ll see tiny grooves all along the edge. They were put there for a very important reason. The process is called “reeding,” and it all goes back to when the US Mint was first created.

Do all dimes have ridges?

Pictured above are the four most common U.S. coins — from top to bottom, a dime, penny, nickel, and finally, a quarter — seen from their edges. You’ll note that the edge of both the dime and quarter have ridges, little grooves running perpendicular to the coin face. The penny and nickel, though, have a smooth edge.

How many ridges are on the edge of a nickel?

The nickel and penny have no grooves along their edge, while the dime and quarter do.

Why is there 119 ridges on a quarter?

Mint began adding ridges to the coins’ edges, a process called “reeding”, in order to make it impossible to shave them down without the result being obvious. Today’s coins contain no precious metals but those ridges, at least on half-dollars, quarters, dimes and some dollar coins are still there.

Why are the edges of coins notched?

The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders of such coins from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half-dollars are notched because they contain silver.

Why are there 119 ridges on a quarter?

Why do coins have ridges on the edge?

Reeded edges are often referred to as “ridged” or “grooved” (US usage), or “milled” (UK usage). Reeding of edges was introduced to prevent coin clipping and counterfeiting.

Why do dimes and quarters have ridges?

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.

How many ridges are around a quarter?

119
One of the fun facts I learned from the Money Smart Week exhibit at the library is that dimes have 118 ridges or grooves and quarters have 119.

How many ridges are on a dime?

118 ridges

Why do US coins have ridges?