If you don't care for "buckle up, it's story time!", there's no need to read this fluff piece.
Coin ridges were invented to combat a sneaky little trick called coin clipping. This was basically the 17th-century version of skimming from the till: Clever criminals would shave small amounts of precious metal off the edges of coins, then spend the lighter coins at full value while melting down the trimmings to sell.
Coin ridges were invented to combat a sneaky little trick called coin clipping. This was basically the 17th-century version of skimming from the till: Clever criminals would shave small amounts of precious metal off the edges of coins, then spend the lighter coins at full value while melting down the trimmings to sell.