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I can't explain very well in english, but is an old tradition (very very old, romans or greek)... they put 2 coins on the eyes of the dead to pay the floatman to take the soul to the 'other side of the river'...
I hope you undertand my english :)
Originally posted 80 months ago.
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rcoster edited this topic 80 months ago.
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Not sure. I've seen pebbles on top of headstones. Some say it's to show loved ones have visited the grave. Some scholars associated the pebbles to rocks being put on the graves in the past. Not sure about coins though.
Seen all sorts of weird stuff left on graves...guess it has significance for the people involved.
Posted 80 months ago.
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Putting pebbles a gravestone each time you visit is a Jewish tradition. As to the pennies, I don't know where the tradition comes from, but I saw a similar display of pennies on Patsy Cline's grave, in Winchester, Virginia.
Posted 80 months ago.
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rcoster is correct the Romans placed a coin with the remains to pay for the ferryman's fare as he took you across to the next world/life.
Posted 80 months ago.
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PS--Not to mention joints on Jimi Hendrix's grave in Renton, Washington.
Posted 80 months ago.
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Now my advice to those who die
Declare the pennies on your eyes
- - George Harrison, "Taxman"
I believe some put coins over the eyes of the dead to hide the eyeballs? Sometimes the lids open?
Posted 80 months ago.
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Hilary,
I went to a cemetery and found a grave with coins on it. Seems this woman Ellen Wilson (Texas Ellen) where she had "learned her trade". She was known as "Shady Lady" when she rented a two story house for her purpose---it had seven bedrooms! Her house was called the "Lone Star of Texas". Anyway, she was murdered by her jealous lover. It was not the custom to bury prostitutes in consecrated ground. However, because of her kindness to others during the plague in helping others, she was given a Christian burial. So I think people put coins on her grave for her to "Pay passage". See my pictures for her headstone.
Posted 80 months ago.
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BurningChampa [deleted] says:
very interesting and thank you for posting this. on my last trip to my father's grave i found some pennies on there and was wondering what in the world they were doing there? never crossed my mind about the pennies from heaven, etc. *hugs*
Posted 80 months ago.
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thanks for the ideas, everyone!
Posted 80 months ago.
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there's no one single answer to this conundrum ... i put a penny at my father's grave because of wanting to have his "thoughts" back with me, as in a penny for your thoughts? and of course no amount of money could ever bring his thoughts back ... but simply leaving the penny is an indication that i have him in MY thoughts ... and if someone is thinking of you after you're long gone then you're never really dead and your life had some meaning and purpose, and was not lived in vain ...
Thus, Mr. Scott did not live or die in vain, and his life continues to have deep meaning for us all today ...
Originally posted 80 months ago.
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leafy edited this topic 80 months ago.
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Mr. Capone's grave usually has coins left. I don't know the reason, but I always thought of them as offerings to him.
Posted 80 months ago.
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You know if you go to www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=511&am... Howard You'll see Jerome Horowitz (Curly Howard) of Three Stooges fame. He aslo has coins on his grave. He is Jewish so you would think he'd have stones on his grave. Why does he have coins?
Posted 80 months ago.
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www.istorija.lt/lim/LIM99s-02svetikas.htm
Posted 80 months ago.
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yes, i agree with the above, the custom of coins comes from Charon's requiring a coin to ferry the dead across the river Styx, and an old christian custome was to put a coin in the dead person's mouth.
also find keys (gates of heaven), and other items of self left behind
i've read that the jewish custom of stones is a biblical tradition of marking gravesites with piles of stones and perhaps that might also be a desert custom.
Posted 80 months ago.
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I just returned from Macon,GA, and while waiting on my wife, I had some "free time" and visited Rose Hill Cemetery. I started out looking for Duane Allman and Berry Oakley gravesite, and having found them, I had just read an article about the ABB song "In Memory of Elizibeth Reed" and how she was buried in the same cemetery.
By mere chance, I stumbled across it, and upon close inspection, I noticed the top covered with EVERY coin one can think of. Not knowing the significance of the jester, I left the ONLY coin on my person.
Glad to know I am not putting a curse on someone, or some other Satanic ritual.
Posted 70 months ago.
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I saw a dime and two pennies on the grave of a 2 year old the other day. I was wondering why it was there as well but figured maybe it was from his piggy bank or something.
Posted 70 months ago.
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I often see small coins left at roadside shrines here (Japan). Graves are usually very clean, but sometimes I see bottles of tea, cups of sake, toys at children's graves. This shows an offering left on a collection of stones that are probably from an abandoned grave.
Posted 70 months ago.
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I would guess that the answer as to why pennies are being left on this particular grave is that Lincoln is on the penny.
Posted 70 months ago.
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People have left coins from all over the world on the grave of President Chester Alan Arthur.
Posted 70 months ago.
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Find this discussion interesting as I always wanted to know why people leave coins on graves. I was told by the grounds keeper at Bunhill Fields in London that people put pennies on William Blake's grave because he was a printer, and had used a coin press (i think). Also, that copper represented good luck.
Posted 70 months ago.
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interesting
Posted 70 months ago.
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I Also have heard the story of paying the toll to the otherside. I have found pennies on my sons grave. We our selves have left coins there as ( I dont know for sure how to explain this) kind of a wish for a call from heaven or the otherside to let us know he is alright.... I think that for most part they represent something special and different for each individual who leaves them... Every story about them represents something to help those lost or something positive for those leaving them....Maybe it is not for us to know ...
Posted 69 months ago.
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My sons wanted to leave something behind for my father when we visited his new gravesite shortly after he was buried. They had coins in their pockets and stuck them into the ground beside his marker.
I thought it was cute, but didn't realize it was already a tradition for some people.
Posted 69 months ago.
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I'm so glad someone asked this question! I've seen a lot of pennies on stones in my cemetery travels and never knew what the significance was!
Posted 69 months ago.
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Hilary said:
'Another is that pennies are put on some graves (Frank Sinatra's, in a story I found) as pennies from heaven. (Seems pennies for heaven would make more sense.)'
Well, in that particular case pennies from heaven actually makes a lot of sense, as 'Pennies from Heaven' is a jazz standard (which means it's a tune known to anybody, at least any decent jazz musician).
Posted 69 months ago.
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Sure, Recent. I know the song. It's just logically (despite the song), seems like one would want pennies for heaven, after one is gone.
Posted 69 months ago.
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I don't think so.
You can't pay to get into heaven (think of the rich man and the eye of the needle), and it has been said that the streets were paved with gold.
Regarding Sinatra, maybe one individual thought that was a reason to leave pennies on Sinatra's grave, but I don't think it goes farther than that. That song has been recorded by just about every singer, so you could, by that reckoning, leave pennies on the headstone of any vocalist and quite a few jazz musicians.
On the other hand, I saw pennies on the grave of Daniel Chester, turned over to show the Lincoln Monument in Washington, DC. That makes perfect sense if you know that he designed the statue inside the monument and it is just barely visible on the penny, inside the monument.
Posted 69 months ago.
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according toys on graveyards - that's the same here:
see my fotostream about the cemetary of the nameless:
Posted 69 months ago.
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i was just in a jewish cemetery in montreal and there were stone on lots of the markers. thanks for the stories.
Originally posted 69 months ago.
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Love the 214 edited this topic 69 months ago.
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it might just be that there is are no stones so put what you have on you, namely coins ?
Posted 69 months ago.
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it's to pay the ferry man, the tradition in fishing communities was for the men to have a gold hoop in an ear so if the ship went down the ferryman could be paid as coins were in short supply due to poverty and had to be left with the wives the tradition of the gold hoop continues in some north east scotland fishing families , although it's also a fashion thing now
Posted 69 months ago.
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I assume that's for the ferry across the River Styx?
Posted 69 months ago.
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Jon© [deleted] says:
Yes, originally people were buried with a coin in their mouth as payment for Charôn (Kharon) the ferryman on the Styx.
I assume coins on the grave is a continuation of this...
Posted 69 months ago.
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Coins on the grave are to pay Charon to take the departed to the afterlife, like John said. Coins placed over the eyes of the dead serves a couple of purposes. First is related to the Charon claim. The coins help keep the eyes shut, because in some countries, if the eyes of the dead are open, then they are looking to take someone with them.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Copper (pennies) is for luck and will kill lichen from the stone - preserving it - but everyone today has their own reasons.
Silver coins were used for the ferryman's toll as they were 'pure' since they were silver - often left in the mouth. The US Quarter is traditionally silver and the same size as the average persons eyes. In the old days the eyes would somtimes open - omong many upleast things.
The toys ofter are offerings of comfort for the child who passed. Oddly enough with curly joe - aside from being buried apart from his brothers - they would not allow his stage name on his stone (so I was told). At one point someone left his stage name spelled out in pennies as a tribute. As for lights, lamps, benches - who knows. I saw a grave with a bench that was designed by the boy who was dying - with a marker enviting you to visit and sit.
Posted 68 months ago.
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o yes - as for mr Scott - I think he was the suprime court case that decided that slaves were property and that perhaps people leave offerings to buy his freedom?? who knows... I will have to ask my imaginary friends...
Posted 68 months ago.
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Have you read Philip Pullman's "The Northern Lights"? It's called "The Golden Compass" in the USA. Anyway, in that people are burried with the name and picture of their daemon (a kind of external manifestation of the soul) engraved on a coin in their mouth.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Lots of these reasons make sense for why folks have left coins historically...(I've seen them in cemeteries all over the USA), but I'm sure there are a lot of personal reasons too. My dad's nickname to his good pals was "Penny" a shortening of his last name... I always leave a penny on his stone when I visit now.
thanks for starting such an interesting discussion Hilary!
Posted 62 months ago.
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thanks for finding this
Posted 62 months ago.
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At James Whitcomb Riley's grave (Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana), there are lots of coins. When Riley died, school children from all across the United States donated pennies and dimes to have a statue erected in his honor. People still leave coins at his grave in the school children's tradition; the money is donated to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis.
Posted 62 months ago.
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My wife and I visited a Mythriac Temple near Hexham in England. This is a pre christian diety brought to The UK by the Romans. The Temple was originally below ground and has been excavated to the sky. There are three altars at the far end of the room and the central one has an offering dish carved into it  In that dish were coins from all regions of the globe. I think that ZzzT has it right when he said it's a personel thing. we all want to connect to the spiritual of the moment and coins are our most common element.
Originally posted 62 months ago.
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celticstoneman edited this topic 62 months ago.
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cinemafia [deleted] says:
I'd always wondered about the pennies thing, after seeing this:
Posted 62 months ago.
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Same with Johnny Mercer in Savannah.... "Pennies From Heaven" and foreign coins get left on Haymarket and Emma Goldman, Ithink it's to show how far away they have come from?
Posted 62 months ago.
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another example that I mentioned in another thread, Christa McAuliffe's memorial.
Posted 61 months ago.
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When I went for Decoration Day today, I noticed coins on MANY of the headstones. A Friend pointed me in this direction for the answer.
Posted 61 months ago.
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Hi i am Joyce,i just want to ask,why Greeks put 2 coins on the eyes of the dead?Pls. answer me on Sept. 23,2007..I hope...
Posted 57 months ago.
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Pls. answer me because I have a project abou this.Thanks.
Posted 57 months ago.
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text me:
Edited to remove phone number. Please don't put such personal information like a phone number or address into a post, especially if you're as young as you seem.
Originally posted 57 months ago.
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Doctor Beef (a group admin) edited this topic 57 months ago.
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refers to Charon the ferryman in Greek mythology. ("Save yourself a penny for the ferryman": tradition dictated that a dead Greek would have a coin placed in his mouth to pay for passage over the River Styx, as Charon demanded payment to ferry souls across the Styx, and without payment, souls would be forever trapped upon the shores, unable to cross.)
Posted 57 months ago.
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The reason for putting them on the eyes (they've done that in other places besides Greece) is to keep the eyes shut.
Posted 57 months ago.
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Reading through the history of Dred Scott, it seems that his freedom was finally purchased. Perhaps the pennies are some sort of tribute to his struggle, and a posthumorous contribution to his liberation?
Posted 57 months ago.
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Here's one from Congressional Cemetery in Washington DC:
Originally posted 57 months ago.
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tiz_herself edited this topic 57 months ago.
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I stubled across a grave in an old (seemingly) forgotten cemetary in S. Petersburg, FL yesterday (off of 58th street and approximately 13th Ave. N. Just off the Pinellas Trail)...and snapped a photo of a tombstone for a little child who had died during the 70s.
There was a buffalo quarter on top of the stone. I had no idea why the quarter was there and wondered why. (Also curious that it hadn't been snatched up by someone.)
I snapped photos of toys, flowers and even a jar of honey left long ago. Now the quarter makes more sense as do the other offerings after reading through all these entries. The (unmarked) cemetary was next to a more manicured one and was obviously where people with less means buried their loved ones. We actually even saw at least two graves that had been broken into (or cracked into) and you could even see down inside the casket.
Originally posted 57 months ago.
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michelle nault edited this topic 57 months ago.
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The grave of Emily Carr in Victoria, Canada has not only coins but artist's paint brushes, a Canadian flag, and other items on it. She was an author, artist and a Wicca. I agree that it may be in honor of the custom of placing coins on the eyes of the diseased but other items are simply tributes of respect.
Posted 56 months ago.
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It can be considered similar to throwing a coin in a fountain to make a wish. If you do it, it's kind of like wishing for the dead person to help you in some way. It's just one of those superstitions.
Posted 40 months ago.
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The Jewish tradition of leaving a stone or pebble on the grave started out as writing a prayer for the deceased on a scrap of paper, which was weighted down with a stone and left on the grave (just as there are prayers inserted into the wailing wall). After time, the paper rotted away, leaving only the stone behind, and over time, the tradition changed to simply leaving the pebble.
Posted 40 months ago.
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Its suppose to be good luck to leave coins on John D. Rockefeller's grave:
Posted 22 months ago.
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Baby Lester 1937
Stepp Cemetery, Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Monroe County, Indiana
There are lots of silly stories about this grave, all untrue. Supposedly the cemetery is haunted by the baby's mother (known as "The Lady in Black") who died not long after her infant son. Except that the mother, Olethia Walls, did not die until sometime after 2001. So, the story is pure BS, but people still leave coins on Baby Lester's grave.
Posted 22 months ago.
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People put pennies, usually 3 at a time, on Marie Laveau's grave. She was a famous 19th century New Orleans Voudou practitioner (although a lot of the stories told about her probably apocryphal), and people still leave gifts at her grave. The last time I was there I saw a few pint bottles of rum and whiskey.
Posted 22 months ago.
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Marie's grave is cleared of "gifts" and "offerings" often. I've seen times where there we bottles of liquor, coins, doubloons, flowers, Mardi Gras beads, candles, incense.. you name it. Coins, however, are the most common.
There is some question as to whether or not Marie is buried in the tomb (which was borrowed) or not. There are at least two other possible burial sites for her in the St Louis No. 1 cemetery alone.
Posted 22 months ago.
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Hello, I'm the Cememtery Director and I can give you a bit of insight on this one as well - there is an old superstition that if you left a coin on the grave, the spirit would grant you a wish (or wealth, health, love, etc. depending on the superstition). A variation on that theme is that leaving a coin on the grave of a deceased villan (criminal, witch, murderer, etc.) will invoke the Devil to grant your wish. Silly yes, but obviously still going strong!
Posted 21 months ago.
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I've never seen this in England, or heard the above story!
Posted 21 months ago.
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I'm told some Christian Americans leave pennies on graves as a gesture of entrusting God with the deceased and the living for that matter. BTW, I should mention that American pennies are inscribed with "In God We Trust".
Interesting how this ancient tradition has evolved.
Posted 21 months ago.
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No matter what the "modern" spin on it, rcoster had it right. Charon is the ferryman who takes the dead across the river Styx (the dividing line between the living and the dead). Coins were placed on the eyes of the dead to pay Charon the fee so the dead could cross. Fail to leave the coins and they walk the earth.
People do it now and make up all manor of reason behind it. But ultimately it is still rooted all the way back to this tradition.
The pebbles, I am not sure. But they seem to only appear on the graves of someone Jewish. Rarely do I see them on a Christian. Granted all rules have exceptions. But the tradition seems rooted there.
Water, jugs of it, are kept by the graves of many Pacific Islanders. One must wash they troubles of this life off before sitting down and the grave of a loved one to talk, share a meal or just be together. Maori leave clean water at the gate of the cemetery. People of the Philippines leave it near the head of the grave.
Posted 21 months ago.
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Fascinating thread and I'm going to bring it to life again. I live in Lincoln, Nebraska and have been doing some research at Wyuka Cemetery, the oldest, and I believe the largest in Lincoln. I was looking for a grave on the west end and saw two guys looking around where executed spree killer Charlie Starkweather is buried. After they left I went over there and there were two pennies on his grave. I don't know if the two guys left them or not. I've never seen this and so I googled it and landed here.
Posted 14 months ago.
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Posted 14 months ago.
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I've been told that leaving pennies on a grave is a token of thanks. I recently visited two cemeteries in L.A. Photographing many graves of movie actors and found pennies on their graves. In the Jewish tradition, leaving a stone on a grave signifies, "I haven't forgotten you" Several of the Jewish graves in these cemeteries also had pennies. Perhaps the penny tradition has crossed over for those cemeteries that forbid the use of rocks and stones. Especially ones where the markers are flush to the ground. Imagine what the landscaper would go through each time the lawn was mowed. I found it a wonderful tradition of gratitude for how someone has touched your life.
Posted 13 months ago.
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In Gothenburg, Sweden I have never seen coins on graves. Toys on children's graves, yes - and also toys and trinkets left by children on the graves of grandparents or parents.
We have a more sinister option for why stones are placed/thrown on graves: it's to keep down the restless spirit of the deceased. Though evidently it is only necessary in unconsecrated ground:
"According to oral tradition this is the final resting place of a beached sailor, frozen to death. Since he is buried in unconsecrated soil, a stone was sacrificed as protection against his evil spirit."
Posted 13 months ago.
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Flo is the most famous ghost here in Ogden, Utah. Every time I go by her grave, I see coins lined up along the top, along with other trinkets. I've always figured it was to pay her passage to the beyond since some believe she's trapped here on Earth.
Posted 5 months ago.
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