They’ve been held a thousand times by you.
They were slipped into parking meters.
On counters, they were stacked.
flipped them to make choices.
But have you ever really looked at a quarter?
Run your thumb along its edge?
Those tiny ridges — they’re not just for grip.
They’re not decoration.
They’re not an accident.
These anti-theft measures date back 300 years, to a time when silver hoards, powdered wigs, and cunning crooks believed they could outsmart the king.
Let’s explore the wild, true story behind coin ridges — and why they still matter today.
The Crime That Created Coin Ridges: “Coin Clipping”
