Coin clipping is the historical practice of shaving or trimming small amounts of precious metal, such as gold or silver, from the edges of coins for profit. Clippers would carefully remove tiny pieces from the edges of metal coins using knives, shears, or files, collecting these clippings over time to melt down and sell as bullion or use to make new coins
. This act reduced the weight and intrinsic value of the coins while leaving their face value unchanged, effectively debasing the currency and undermining trust in it
. Because the coins looked only slightly altered-often smoothed to appear naturally worn-clipping was difficult to detect and considered a serious crime, sometimes punishable by death
. To combat clipping, many coins were produced with milled or reeded edges- patterns or ridges that would be visibly damaged if clipped-an innovation credited to Isaac Newton during his tenure at the Royal Mint
. Coin clipping was common in many ancient and early modern economies but eventually declined as coins moved away from precious metal content to fiat currency
. In summary, coin clipping was a form of currency debasement involving the illicit removal of precious metal from coins, which had significant economic and legal consequences historically.
