Chiseler
Dating
back to ancient civilizations, coins have been made from precious
metals. Struck by hand, ancient and many medieval coins were not
uniform in shape and lent themselves to" shaving" or "chiseling" by
unscrupulous citizens. By taking a small amount from the edge of
each coin before spending it, a person could amass enough silver or
gold to sell for a profit in no time. While the history behind the
word "chiseler" is somewhat obscure, it is believed that the word
received its meaning from the act of chiseling metal away from
coins. Reeding was introduced to a coin's edge to discourage
chiseling.
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