An Ornament and a Guard

Or 'Decus et Tutamen' as it is written on millions of little metal discs in the UK.

It is noticeable how Blipfoto is educational.  While enjoying the opportunity to take part on Tiny Tuesday, I just had to read up what the lettering on the pound coin meant in English and the reason for it being there.  Apparently the practice goes back some 350 years to a time where precious metals were used to create coins.  In those days, because of the inherent value in the coins themselves, there was a practice of clipping, whereby unscrupulous individuals would snip of part of the coin, melting it down and then selling it on.  By milling words around the edge, people could have confidence that the coin was still whole.