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Reeding or milling is a technique wherein a number of narrow ridges called "reeds" are carved or milled into a surface with a
/ref>Dictionary.com: "Reeding"
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In
In
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Reeding or milling is a technique wherein a number of narrow ridges called "reeds" are carved or milled into a surface with a Castaing machine
The Castaing machine is a device used to add lettering and decoration to the edge of a coin. Such lettering was necessitated by counterfeiting and edge clipping, which was a common problem resulting from the uneven and irregular hammered coinage ...
.The Free Dictionary: "Reeding"/ref>Dictionary.com: "Reeding"
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Numismatics
In numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...
, reeded edges are often referred to as "ridged" or "grooved" (American usage), or "milled" (British usage). Some coins, such as United States quarters and dimes, 1 euro, Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
5, 10, 20 cents, 1 and 2 dollars, as well many other current coins, have reeded edges.
One reason for having reeded edges was to prevent counterfeiting. Some gold and silver coins were reeded to discourage clipping
Clipping may refer to:
Words
* Clipping (morphology), the formation of a new word by shortening it, e.g. "ad" from "advertisement"
* Clipping (phonetics), shortening the articulation of a speech sound, usually a vowel
* Clipping (publications ...
, i.e. scraping off the precious metals from the edge of the coin, to maintain its stated value in precious metal. This practice was made more difficult through the implementation of reeding by Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton () was an English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment that followed ...
in 1698, during his time as warden of the Royal Mint
A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint.
''Warden'' is etymologically ident ...
.
Another benefit of certain coins having reeded edges is that it helps the visually impaired
Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...
identify different coin denominations by sense of touch alone.
This dual purpose of reeding is sometimes made explicit on the milled edges of coins themselves. For example, many issuances of the British pound coin have historically had their edges inscribed with the Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
phrase '', an adaption from Vergilius
Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: the ''Eclogues'' ( ...
' ''Aeneid
The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...
'' meaning 'an ornament and a safeguard'.
Furniture
In furniture
Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...
, reeding is sometimes used around bedposts, and the legs of tables and chairs. Its use in this fashion was inspired by Greek and Roman architectural styles, and is the opposite of fluting.
Architecture
Inarchitecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
, reeding is a form of molding usually found on columns, and is sometimes considered to be synonymous with gadrooning
Gadrooning is a decorative motif consisting of convex curving shapes in relief in a series. In furniture and other decorative arts, it is an ornamental carved band of tapered, curving and sometimes alternating concave and convex sections, usually ...
.Encyclopædia Britannica: "Fluting and Reeding"/ref>
See also
*Knurling
Knurling is a manufacturing process, typically conducted on a lathe, whereby a pattern of straight, angled or crossed lines is rolled into the material. Knurling can also refer to material that has a knurled pattern.
Etymology
The terms ''knur ...
*Milled coinage
In numismatics, the term milled coinage (also known as machine-struck coinage) is used to describe coins which are produced by some form of machine, rather than by manually hammering coin blanks between two dies (hammered coinage) or casting coi ...
*Spline (mechanical)
A spline is a ridge or tooth
on a drive shaft that matches with a groove in a mating piece and transfers torque to it, maintaining the angular correspondence between them.
For instance, a gear mounted on a shaft might use a male spline on the ...
References
{{Woodworking Architectural elements Numismatics Woodworking Metalworking Metal forming Accessibility