why is America abbreviated “Ameri”? they could have easily fit the “ca” and balanced out the letters better, the whole phrasing around the edge seems unbalanced, not centered.
Fascinating. Good catch.
why is America abbreviated “Ameri”?
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You gotta ask the guy that struck it, but I don’t know.
The most common explanation I’ve heard is that the engraver wanted the reverse lettering to seem balanced. “AMERI.” balances with “STATES” and “UNITED”, while “AMERICA” would have looked long and out of place. The “AMERICA” version exists and is much more common with ~650 in existence vs ~200 for the “AMERI.” variety.