Just how important is the edge of a coin? Well, for starters, if you take away the edge of a coin you’ll be left with nothing to support its obverse and reverse. And nothing to contain the metal within, which originally gave the coin its inherent worth. Coins are the result of blank discs, called planchets, which are punched out from a sheet of metal, are then placed in a coining press for eventual stamping from dies. Edges are considered to be the third face of a coin. They result from the metal of the stamped coin being squeezed outward against a circular retaining collar. The ridges you see on the edges of dimes and quarters for example, are just mirror images of the ridges in a retaining collar. In earlier days, a screw press was used, the power generated mainly by the physical strength required in turning a wheel on something resembling a giant vertical screw that pressed in a design. This came before hydraulic presses were first used by the U.S. Mint in 1836. Still, the same basic elements of planchet, die and collar were involved.

Among the earliest American Colonial coinage were Shillings from Massachusetts, made during the 1650s–1660s, though dated “1652.” They were crudely hammered and fashioned from a rocker or roller press, giving the finished coin irregular edges. Often thin, they were frequently clipped, which put them further out-of-round. As technology improved, the rounded shape allowed for better handling, not to mention pockets, purses, and fingers no longer endangered by the jagged edges. Towards the latter part of the eighteenth century, nearly all colonial coins were composed of copper or bronze, of Half Cent size (a bit smaller than a quarter) or Cent size (a bit smaller than a half dollar) and of perfect roundness. Though generally having plain edges, coins such as the “Kentucky Cent” issued ca. 1792–1794, betrayed their geographical birthplace by having PAYABLE IN LANCASTER LONDON OR BRISTOL on their edges. Oddly, other coins struck in England for the U.S. included George Washington Cents (yes, he did have friends over there) dated from 1783 to 1795. One lettered edge reads AN ASYLUM FOR THE OPPRESS’D OF ALL NATIONS while another proclaims the new nation’s full title UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Others read BIRMINGHAM REDRUTH & SWANSEA or PAYABLE IN ANGLESEA LONDON OR LIVERPOOL. Though intended mostly for British consumption, some of these pieces made their way through U.S. doorsteps and into collector’s hands, if not commercial hands.

Other small denominations, such as the 1783 Washington Cent had an engrailed edge, which is a type of fine circular, or semi-circular indentation. In 1776, a dollar coin, called the “Continental Dollar” was issued. This was well before the establishment of the Philadelphia Mint, which was (and still is) the country’s main producer of coins. This coin had a decorative edge, although it served no function other than that of aesthetics, since it was struck for circulation in pewter. In 1792, just a year before United States coinage officially began, the House of Representatives and the Senate agreed on the general format that U.S. coinage should take. One such proposed coin (though never adopted) is called the “Birch Cent”, assumed to have been designed by Robert Birch, an engraver. On its edge is an early, quixotic expression TO BE ESTEEMED BE USEFUL. Considering that an earlier model for cents once had MIND YOUR BUSINESS written on its obverse, some expressions seem to have taken on a different tone over the years.

Our first issues for regular circulation began in 1793 with the Cent and Half Cent. The cents of 1793 featured an edge motif of vines and bars, which was then discontinued and replaced with ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR. This wording continued through 1794 and part way through 1795, when the edge was left blank. In 1797, some varieties were minted with what is referred to as a “Gripped Edge.” This appears as a series of tiny indentations, or grip marks around the circumference. Thereafter, all regular issues of cents had plain edges.

The Half Cent had the motif TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR on its edge for the same span of time; the vine-and-bar style was never used. It, too, showed a plain edge after 1795, excluding a variety of gripped edge in 1797, as described in the one cent issues above. The half cent denomination was terminated in 1857. Since both of these issues were made of a base metal, (bronze) there was no intent by the U.S. Mint to put a device on the edge so as to prevent dishonest people from shaving bits off, this dubious practice was an important reason why the Mint stamped something into the coin’s edge.

Today, with dimes, quarters and half dollars no longer containing silver, aesthetics now play the only role for the reeded, or ridged, edges that we now see in general commerce. Dimes and quarters, which both began in 1796, always had reeded edges, as well as the very thin Half Dime, which ran from 1794 to 1873. (Some were also made in 1792, though not in the U.S. Mint.) Incidentally, the term “Half Dime” was used long before the term “Nickel” was in use to designate a five-cent piece. The plain-edged nickel was first stuck in 1866, as the white metal’s malleability and alloying capabilities permitted homogeneity with copper;. By 1874 it completely overtook the half dime’s function. In 1882, a new series of designs were executed in order to replace the nickel’s Shield design which was used in commerce from 1866 to 1883. These experimental pieces, called Patterns, eventually produced the Liberty Head nickel (often called the V nickel because of the Roman numeral 5 on its reverse) which was commercially used from 1883 to 1912. One of these efforts by the mint’s designer George T. Morgan produced some Liberty nickels and Shield nickels with an edge that had five raised bars spaced at regular intervals. These coins, never released for circulation, are referred to as Blind Man’s Nickels, “. . . so that the blind could determine by the touch its denomination” according to an account written in 1883.

Two silver coin denominations were struck with plain edges, and for different reasons. The first was the Three Cent Silver piece of 1853 to 1873, so thin (1.55mm thick) that nothing could be done with its edges. The second was the short-lived Twenty Cent piece, commercially struck for only two years, 1875 and 1876. The coin closely resembled a quarter in size, weight and design, so its edge was left bare to help aid the confused consumer.

First coined in 1794, the Half Dollar had FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR stamped on its edge, along with a decorative device separating the words. This lasted up to 1809, when the mint went through some experimentation, putting XXXX between those words on some of the edges, and putting IIIII between them on others; the majority of the 1,405,810 issued simply had the unadorned words. Most interestingly, the denomination was not put on the obverse or reverse of 1794 and 1795 half dollars. If the consumer did not bother to look at the edge of the coin, he might not have known what he had. These were new coins issued in a new era without benefit of mass-media coverage. Small wonder then, that the fraction “½” was added to the reverse of the 1796 and 1797 half dollars. In 1836, the reeded edge first appeared; it has stayed with us to this very day.

Like the half dollar, the Silver Dollar was first issued in 1794. The edge read HUNDRED CENTS ONE DOLLAR OR UNIT. Luckily it did, since the denomination ONE DOLLAR (originally ONE DOL.) did not appear on the obverse or reverse of regularly issued dollars until 1840, the same year that the reeded edge made its debut. The reeded edge continued during the minting of George T. Morgan’s silver dollars, a popularly collected design struck from 1878 to 1904, and again in 1921. Strangely, several dozen experimental dollars were struck in 1885, having the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM on its edge, in raised letters. That this should have occurred during the eighth year of an approved and successfully issued design is odd enough, but considering that the motto already appears across the top obverse of the coin, makes it truly bizarre. An explanation for this edge is easy enough; these dollars were ordered to be struck by Col. A. Louden Snowden, Superintendent of the Philadelphia Mint and an ardent coin collector, who was eager to sell or trade rare coins to improve his collection! Reeded edges continued on dollar coins through the last of the Susan B. Anthony dollars, issued from 1979 to 1999. At the end of the S. B. Anthony dollar coinage, the manganese and brass Sacagawea Dollars were issued in 2000, becoming the first regularly issued dollars to have a blank edge. At present, our mints are producing a series of one dollar coins featuring the portraits of presidents. The edges have the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. As with all coins, or anything else manufactured, there are always mistakes. Some of these dollars have been released with blank edges as well as double-struck edges and have become sought-after collector items.

Our earliest gold coins were $5 and $10 pieces struck in 1795 while the $2.50 joined the list a year later. 1849 and 1850 saw the release of $1 and $20 coins, respectively, and the curious $3 gold coin entered circulation in 1854. All of these coins had reeded edges, but the tedium was relieved with the coinage of $10 and $20 pieces in 1907 designed by Augustus St. Gaudens. The $10 piece was issued with 46 raised stars around its edge until 1912, when the number of stars was increased to 48. The two additional stars were to commemorate the addition of the two extra states, New Mexico and Arizona, to the Union. The edge of the $20 coin was quite different, having just the 13 stars of the original Union, amongst our most popular Latin motto: E* PLURIBUS* UNUM***********.

Perhaps the most detailed edge on an American coin appeared not on a colonial issue, regular issue, or even a pattern issue. A provisional government mint was set up in California to produce gold issues for the western states and territories during the gold rush years. The United States Assay Office in California was headed by Augustus Humbert, a watchcase maker from New York. One of the coins produced was the biggest in size, and highest in denomination at that time. A $50 gold piece, weighing nearly 2.5 ounces had incused edge lettering: AUGUSTUS HUMBERT UNITED STATES ASSAYER OF GOLD CALIFORNIA 1851. Being octagonal in shape, there was enough room on the edge of the coin to fill out all of the letters. In addition to this eight-sided 41mm giant from the gold rush era, its diminutive opposite, an octagonal 25 cent gold piece, which is about 9mm side-to-side, should be included. This tiniest of all U.S. coins, privately issued and circulating as much-needed small change, understandably had plain edges.

The “Blind Man’s Nickel” earlier described is just one of many Pattern and Experimental pieces produced by the mint. Other ideas involved an edge within an edge, the center being perforated, forming a ring-shaped coin. The most popularly collected of these issues are the various Gold Ring Dollar designs of 1852. The idea behind this was to manufacture a one dollar gold coin that would be larger than the 13mm piece already in circulation since 1849. The outer edge of the proposed designs would widen the coins to approximately 17mm, the perforated inner edge averaging around 10mm across. Eventually the mint changed the design of the regular issue, making it thinner and wider. The first, and most unusual of the perforated gold dollars involved a square edge within a normal, round coin. Struck in 1849, the 5mm square is at a 45-degree angle, so that it looks like a tiny baseball diamond cut out from the center of the coin. These outer-and-inner edged coins were not struck for gold dollars only, but for other denominations as well. Experimental cents of 1850 and 1851 made of billion, an alloy of 90% copper and 10% silver, had round perforated centers. Finally, a pattern nickel made in 1884 had a 5mm octagonal perforation in its center. Not being happy with that punched-out design, the mint then added a rim around its perforation, thus producing a coin with two distinct edges and two distinct rims. Now that’s putting an edge on numismatics.

Getting an Edge on Numismatics

Jay Erlichman, Consultant to R. M. Smythe and Company, Inc.

jay@erlichman.com

917.402.2367