By GovMint :
The invention of ridges, or reeded edges, on coins, is attributed to Sir Isaac Newton during his time as Warden of The Royal Mint in the late 1600s when it was still located in the Tower of London. Newton introduced this feature to combat the prevalent issue of "coin clipping," which is when small amounts of precious metal are shaved off the edges of coins. By adding ridges, any tampering with the coin's edge became immediately more noticeable, thus preserving the coin's integrity and value.
