101. Coins With Ridges
U.S. Mint is the best place to purchase.
Average Cost of Product: $0.01–$1*
People trying to profit unlawfully from cash have existed for as long as there has been money. Coin manufacture is currently overseen by the U.S. Mint, although in the past, a coin’s value was determined by its weight. The value was indicated by the coin’s weight.
Coins with Ridges © Shutterstock/IING Studio, 1985
Naturally, some people attempted to take advantage of that system. The coins’ edges would be shaved, and they would gather those edges to make new, fake ones. To guard against this fraud and make it easier to determine whether the coins had signs of tampering, the U.S. Mint added edges to the rims of the coins.
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