Brits are just why coins have ridges – and it's blowing people's minds

Coin
-Credit: (Image: PA)


You might believe you're quite the numismatic whizz, but this latest nugget of information might just astound you.

There's a hefty dose of deliberation that goes into the design of UK coins, considering aspects such as the colour and shape. But have you ever paused to ponder why the coins jangling in your pocket have ridged edges?

A TikTok user has disclosed that there's a crafty rationale behind it. One user of the site known as @CoinCollectingWizard, who boasts 191,000 followers, shared the intriguing factoid in a video that racked up hundreds of likes alongside numerous comments. He asserted that historically, coins were composed of gold or silver and were devoid of ridges.

He explained that the intrinsic value of each coin correlated directly to its gold or silver content. However, he highlighted that certain individuals tried their hand at an unlawful scheme with these coins.

"They filed off the edges and sold them for their value in gold or silver," he added in the video.

Despite the reduced size of the coin frequently going unnoticed, this fraudulent activity led to a depreciation of the genuine coin's value. In a bid to curb this malpractice, governments initiated the practice of millingor adding grooves tothe edges, ensuring any tampered coins would be immediately recognisable.

In today's currency, coins are not forged from solid gold or silver, yet the tradition of milled edges persists. He further elaborated: "This means back then people could just make the coin smaller, keep the gold they took off the coin, and still use the coin as usual, so they put grooves on it. So it would be a lot harder to do that. Now it's just tradition."

There's another reason why coins have ridges, also referred to as reeded edges. The aim is to deter counterfeiting and make it more difficult to clip or shave the edges of coins.

The ridges on the 10p coin also help differentiate it from the 2p coin, which has a smooth edge. Since this information was shared, one individual remarked: "Interesting, never knew this." While another expressed their gratitude, saying: "Thank you."