Ever leave a coin at a grave?

[Quiet Observer]

I have not heard of this. I did 18 years active duty and 10 years reserve USN/USNR.

"Well, as it turns out, coins left at graves have special meanings and visitors who leave them aren't just doing so for the fun of it. When you see a coin on a gravestone, it simply means that the deceased were in the military service. It's a long-standing military tradition and a special way of honoring those who died in service to the United States of America."

MSN

 

[Leo]

I have seen Coins on headstones when I set grave site flags for memorial day, mostly silver dollars. Just a coin or two, not covered like the headstone in the MSN article. I never knew what the coins were for, thanks for the info.

I was 30 before I knew I was supposed to give a coin to someone if they cut themselves with my knife. Lots of traditions in lots of places.

 

[loudgroove]

I found this out recently. My uncle was in the Korean war. Went to visit his grave on veterans day and saw several pennies on his head stone. My cousin said that after the Vietnam war where it was so controversial with family members Fellow servicemen started leaving coins on head stones to show respect for each other. Each coin means something different. All I remember is a penny means a fellow serviceman visited the grave but doesn't mean they knew each other.

 

[Max Volume]

I never have but visited Spring Mill State Park last weekend and went to Hamer cemetary in the park. One tombstone had a rather
large pile of coins on it.

 

[Michigan Slim]

There are pennies, nickels and a dime on my dad's stone. He saved in the Army in the late 50's and early 60's.

 

[KokomoDave]

I of course put them on my dad's headstone as he was Korean and Vietnam War veteran who was killed in DaNang '72. My great uncle was RADM Don Pardee Moon and there are piles on his Arlington gravestone.
The only reason I knew about this tradition is because of the old guys taught me this stuff when I was a young 16yr old PV1 in the Guards. Learned a bunch from those dudes. All dead now of course. Some knew my dad...

 

[indyk]

Iv’e laid a few Rem Thunderbolts on my dads and Grandpa stones

 

[Lmo1131]

I was 30 before I knew I was supposed to give a coin to someone if they cut themselves with my knife. Lots of traditions in lots of places.

My mother always taped a penny to a knife given as a gift. The tradition stemmed from an old superstition that a knife could sever a friendship - the penny was to be given back to the giver (by the recipient) to “pay” to keep the friendship intact.

And she always lit a candle wick before giving the candle as a gift. — an unburnt candle invites ghosts and evil spirits.

 

[littletommy]

I’ve put quite a few guitar picks on Duane Allmans grave over the years.

 

[DCR]

Looked this up ---

Have you ever been in a cemetery and saw coins laying on a headstone?
A coin left on a headstone lets the deceased soldier’s family know that somebody stopped by to pay their respect.
A penny means you visited.
A nickel means you and the deceased veteran trained at boot camp together.
A dime means you and the deceased veteran served together in some capacity.
A quarter is very significant because it means that you were there when that veteran died.
The tradition of leaving coins on the headstones of military men and women can be traced to as far back as the Roman Empire.
Soldiers would insert a coin into the mouth of a fallen soldier to ensure they could cross the “River Styx” into the afterlife. In the
US, this practice became common during the Vietnam war, due to the political divide in the country over the war, leaving a coin
was seen as a more practical way to communicate that you had visited the grave than contacting the soldier’s family, which could
devolve into an uncomfortable argument over politics relating to the war.

 

[MindfulMan]

 

[Remington 90T]

I visit my best friend grave with a pint, have a long visit and leave half for him . always gone when I come back1

 

[DragonGunner]

Looked this up ---

Have you ever been in a cemetery and saw coins laying on a headstone?
A coin left on a headstone lets the deceased soldier’s family know that somebody stopped by to pay their respect.
A penny means you visited.
A nickel means you and the deceased veteran trained at boot camp together.
A dime means you and the deceased veteran served together in some capacity.
A quarter is very significant because it means that you were there when that veteran died.
The tradition of leaving coins on the headstones of military men and women can be traced to as far back as the Roman Empire.
Soldiers would insert a coin into the mouth of a fallen soldier to ensure they could cross the “River Styx” into the afterlife. In the
US, this practice became common during the Vietnam war, due to the political divide in the country over the war, leaving a coin
was seen as a more practical way to communicate that you had visited the grave than contacting the soldier’s family, which could
devolve into an uncomfortable argument over politics relating to the war.

What do you leave if it’s a family member?

 

[deo62]

I’ve left a couple of quarters, the above reference is correct.

 

[wagyu52]

I remember reading this a some point, glad I did it right.
Found myself in the cemetery behind our farm yesterday. There’s a stone from WW1 veteran, his badge and flag had fell over so I straightened them up and thanked him for his service and left a penny.

 

[funeralweb]

I never have but visited Spring Mill State Park last weekend and went to Hamer cemetary in the park. One tombstone had a rather
large pile of coins on it.

There is a WWII pilot who was KIA in Europe buried there.

 

[BluePig]

My friend's father's stone with coins in place. He co-piloted a glider into Normandy on D-day morning.

 

[BluePig]

What about Jack Daniel's?

 

[wcd]

I am really surprised to see this is news to many.