Remembering and honoring our departed loved ones is something that each of us does in a unique way.
Respecting other people’s traditions and remembering the lives of the deceased should be commonplace in today’s society. The fact that some people choose to adhere to customs or practices that the rest of us are unfamiliar with does not diminish their legitimacy.
This also applies to gravestones and the decorations some families decide to erect over the final resting places of their loved ones. One common habit that you have undoubtedly seen at some point is the placing of coins on headstones. But why is this creature at all? And where did it come from? To find out more, keep reading.
In cemeteries around the United States and other nations, coins are customarily positioned on gravestones. I first noticed it as a little child while visiting my grandfather’s grave, and even then, I began to wonder what it was all about.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take much effort to uncover the origins online. Although it was once believed that Roman military personnel were the originators of the practice, several sources have since refuted that theory.
Nevertheless, placing pennies on gravestones has a military association. One of the pages on the American Legion website claims that it has ties to the Vietnam War.
“Because of the political division in the nation over the war, leaving a coin was thought to be a more practical way to convey that you had visited the soldier’s grave than getting in touch with the soldier’s family, which could turn into an awkward argument over politics.”
A penny simply signifies that someone was there, but a nickel, for example, is left by someone who was in boot camp with the deceased.
Conversely, a dime denotes a cumulative time spent in the military. Quarters come next, alerting the family to the presence of the person who left the coin at the time of the loved one’s death.
Have you ever seen a dime on a tombstone? Did you know what it meant? Tell us in the space provided below.
