Coins pass through our hands every day with little notice. They’re exchanged, stacked, and stored as part of routine life. Yet along the edge of many coins runs a precise series of grooves that serve a purpose far greater than decoration. Those ridges are the result of deliberate design—created to safeguard trust in money during a time when currency was especially vulnerable.
Centuries ago, coins were made from precious metals like silver and gold. That value created an incentive for fraud. Unscrupulous individuals would shave tiny amounts from a coin’s edge, collecting the metal while leaving the coin looking intact. One coin might lose very little, but repeated across thousands, the damage added up. Over time, this practice eroded confidence in currency and disrupted trade, prompting authorities to search for a reliable solution.
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