Reeding on coinage was invented by Isaac Newton to prevent counterfeits and the filing down of coins for their silver content but we don't have these problems anymore so why continue the practice? The many economies in the world are driven by paper money and not coinage anymore so the risk of counterfeits are low to non-existent, who wants to counterfeit an 2015 Cent anyway? Counterfeiters don't have a hard time getting reeding on counterfeits anymore so it is not a security feature on coinage anymore and reeding does not protect Numismatics products from counterfeits in anyway. The filing down of coins is not heard of these days because coinage is not made out of silver anymore due to inflation and we(U.S) have been producing clad coinage since 1965 due to this problem(Coinage Act of 1965). With these reasons put into question, why do we still produce coinage with reeding and should we get rid of it? I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this!
Yes, this is an interesting question. Those ridges do seem more than quaint. This article cites the ability for the visually impaired to tell the differences between denominations such as the penny and dime: http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/why-do-coins-have-ridges It also said that reeding impedes counterfeiting, or at least makes it a little more challenging, though that may become less relevant over time. Other sources I found said that reeding "enhances a coin's artistry." This very subject came up when I toured Canada's Ottawa mint about a month ago, and I'm sad to say that I can't remember every reason they gave - I was too busy looking at huge coils of gold that would soon turn into Maple Leafs. The true answer may be the most prosaic: "we've always done it this way" or "why change tradition now?"
Interesting question... I don't know I want to share this NGC article with you - "Reed" it https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/513/
Just think! All of those little valleys between the ridges would have to be filled with additional metal, and I'm pretty sure that the Mint would want to get paid for it. I say get rid of the cent before we think about doing away with reeding. Chris
As these posts attest and as a parent of a visually challenged adult child I can tell you that reeding does indeed serve an important function.
That's OK it's good. We also have many traditions that guide out lives, actions etc. And in many cases we can't say how those traditions got started either.
