Edge Inscription - The words on the edge of a coin. A modern example is the edge of British One pound coins which bears a different inscription each year.
Edge Inscription - Lettering on the edge of a coin which makes up a motto, first used on Cromwell coins. The inscription made it impossible to clip a coin.
As the edge inscriptions are stamped on the edge of blank coins before striking, they can (and do) appear either way up in theoretically equal quantities.
One Pound ...
A 'mule' is a coin which has two mismatched sides - the term is also used to a coin with the wrong edge inscription. Typically a mule occurs when the mint accidentally selects the wrong die for one side of a coin.
The Presidential Dollas program was inagurated with George Washington's bust appearing on the first issue, however an unknown number of the new coins were mistakenly struck without their edge inscriptions, including "In God We Trust".
1986: Flax in a coronet, representing Northern Ireland. Edge inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN.
1987: Oak tree in a coronet, representing England. Edge inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN.
1988: Crown over shield. Edge inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN.
The Mint was bound to have an adjustment period while they worked out the kinks in this dramatic new style of coin design, but nobody could have predicted the hundreds of thousands of Presidential Dollars that were missing whole edge inscriptions, ...
A segmented collar is sometimes used for applying edge inscriptions; it is made of several edge die segments that when compressed together form the complete collar to form the edge device, ...
 See also: Inscription, Coin, Revers, Gold, Reverse
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