How many indentations are there on the US quarter and why is the number so significant?

arb	There are 119 identations on the side of a US quarter, but not sure of there significance. Aug 31 02, 4:08 PM

Friar Tuck

If there are more or less than 119 it would be a forgery. The technical term for 'grooves on a quarter is 'reeds.' The dollar, half-dollar, quarter, and ten-cent coin denominations were originally produced from precious metals (gold and silver). Because of this, some people would file the edges of the coins to get these precious metals. The grooved, or 'reeded' edges deterred this practice and also made counterfeiting more difficult. The one-cent and five-cent coins of the United states have never contained precious metals. However, we continue to use reeded edges on the larger denominations of coins (except the Golden Dollar) because it helps the visually impaired identify the coins. For example, the reeding of the ten-cent coin makes it easy to identify by touch versus the smooth edge of the penny. http://www.universalschool.org/library/quarter.htm gives the number of reeds for different coins. Aug 31 02, 4:19 PM