A pearl circle (also pearl rim or pearl ring; French ''grènetis'', German ''Perlkreis'', ''Perlrand'', ''Perlreif'') is a circular arrangement of fine, raised points or "pearls" on the

edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed b ...

coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in orde ...

s; it also sometimes appears in round or oval frames. It can be considered a relative or subsidiary form of the

bead and reel Bead and reel is an architectural motif, usually found in sculptures, moldings and numismatics. It consists in a thin line where beadlike elements alternate with cylindrical ones. It is found throughout the modern Western world in architectural d ...

motif.

Shape

If there is a pearl circle or a string of pearls on coins, it usually encloses the entire coin design. The pearl circle can be on one or both sides of a coin.''Perlkreis''
at reppa.de. Retrieved 5 July 2022. In addition to a simple beaded wreath, there are also double or multiple beaded circles. There are also variants that do not have circular beads or that show an alternating pattern of beads and other simple geometric figures.

Function

Pearl circles (later also small edge bars) were not only decorative, but they also served to protect the coin from forgeries and

coin clipping Coin debasement is the act of decreasing the amount of precious metal in a coin, while continuing to circulate it at face value. This was frequently done by governments in order to inflate the amount of currency in circulation; typically, some o ...

and thus from depreciation.

History

The pearl circle appeared as early as the Greek coins of antiquity. It is widespread on

Roman coin Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction to the Republic, during the third century BC, well into Imperial times, Roman currency saw many changes in form, deno ...

s from both Republican and Imperial times. Byzantine coins also often have a pearl circle. From the 19th century onwards, the introduction of

close collar minting Close collar minting is a method of coin manufacture that is used almost exclusively today. With close collar minting, the planchet is centred within a solid metal collar during the minting process. This restraining collar prevented the expansion o ...

made it possible to emboss a raised rim slightly overhanging the coin design. This

edge bar Coin edges may be plain (smooth) or patterned, or a combination of both. They can also include lettering. Reeded edges are often referred to as "ridged" or "grooved" (US usage), or "milled" (UK usage).Concise Oxford Dictionary (2006): mill, produ ...

often ends inwards with a beaded circle. The German Coinage Act of 9 July 1873 stipulated that

silver coin Silver coins are considered the oldest mass-produced form of coinage. Silver has been used as a coinage metal since the times of the Greeks; their silver drachmas were popular trade coins. The ancient Persians used silver coins between 612–330 ...

s of the German Empire had to have a pearl circle.

References

{{Reflist

Literature

*von Schrötter, Friedrich, ed. (1930): ''Wörterbuch der Münzkunde'' ("Dictionary of Numismatics"). De Gruyter, 2nd unchanged edn. Berlin. (1970 reprint). Numismatics