Why is the reverse of a coin upside down? Why don't they make them so when you flip the coin it's not upside down?
Because thats the way it's done in Britain and other European countries. Its called Medallic orientation or medal alignment. Flipping the coin top to bottom is called coin orientation.
It can be upside-down or not. Just depends on how you flip it. And some countries coins are medallic alignment, the opposite of US coins.
Umm, how many countries in the world still make coins that do not have parallel alignment? Sure, the US. But which others? South Korea, I think ... any others? Christian
Who says that makes it upside down? In the US we drive on the right but in Great Britain and Australia they drive on the left. Which way is correct?
Yes, I know the American term "coin alignment" seems to suggest that there is one proper alignment for coins. But I don't think this is a question of "correct or not"; I was just wondering how many countries still use it. Quite a few have switched to parallel alignment in the past decades (and certainly not just because of the euro coinage), but I don't think any country went the other way round ... Christian
I think it's funny how terminology changes simply because people can't think of the correct term and substitute something that sounds right. Chris
Because if the referee flips a coin and it always lands right-side-up then everyone would think the game is rigged. Chris
Now to try and actually answer his first question. It is possible that the choice to use that orientation may have been deliberate simply to make them different from how the British did it. Back then they chose to do many things in a certain way just to be different from the British. Now they continue to do it that way because it has become traditional. (Same reason the coins still have a reeded edge even though we don't have to worry about the coins being clipped for their metal.)
This may be a tiny little bit off-topic but those edge "features" still make sense. It's just the purpose that has changed: Different edge styles are one way of making it easier for blind people - and others too - do keep different denominations apart. Christian
I guess it all depends on the steering wheel, & since the USPS is being forced to commit assisted suicide there would be no other reason to change it.
