Because it is traditionally a precious metal coin. The reeding makes it obvious if someone has shaved a bit of silver off.
Prior to 1965, the dime was 90% silver. Ridges, or reeding as it is commonly called, were used to prevent people from shaving off tiny bits of the silver and melting it down and passing off a dime that might only have 9 cents of silver in it as having 10 cents of silver in it. If you look at the denominations that have historically been silver in the US (such as the dime, half dollar, and quarter) you will see that they all have reeding to discourage the clipping of coins. On the other hand, coins like the nickel which (aside from 1942-1945 when silver replaced nickel due to wartime nickel shortages) contain no precious metal, they have a plain edge as does the penny. Prior to the advent of reeding, milled coins might have had a lettered or engraved edge such as we see today on the presidential dollars and the British 1 pound coin.
there are 118 ridges on a u.s. dime
According to the US Mint, a dime has 118 reeds/ridges.
A US dime(10 cents) has 118 ridges to be exact.
The ridges around the edge of a dime is called reeding or milling. There are 118 ridges.
They are actually called "Reeds" and the dime has 118 of them.
There is 118 ridges on a dime.
there are 118 ridges on a u.s. dime
According to the US Mint, a dime has 118 reeds/ridges.
A US dime(10 cents) has 118 ridges to be exact.
The ridges around the edge of a dime is called reeding or milling. There are 118 ridges.
They are actually called "Reeds" and the dime has 118 of them.
A US dime.
A U.S. dime has 118 ridges, also known as reeding, around its edge. These ridges are designed to prevent coin shaving and counterfeiting. The reeding also helps distinguish the dime from other coins with a smooth edge.
118
The United States dime (10 cents) has 118 edge ridges. The coin is 17.91 mm in diameter and is 1.35 mm thick
The number of ridges around the edge of a dime is 118. These ridges, also known as reeding, help prevent counterfeiting and wear on the coin. The design and number of ridges can vary among different coins, but for the U.S. dime, it is consistently 118.
118 ridges are on a dimes edge