Coins on a Grave

 

Picture created by Val (AI)

Have you ever been through a pioneer cemetery and seen coins on a Headstone?  What do coins have to do with a final resting place?  Unknown to some, this custom dates back to the stories in ancient Greece mythology of Charon the ferryman.  charon would bring souls across the river from the world of the living to the world of the dead. The trip would cost the family of the deceased an “obol” for passage into the afterlife.

Typically, the family placed the coin in the mouth of the deceased. Later, they were also placed over the eyes. The family buried their loved ones with this coin. Today, the coin symbolizes respect and remembrance, especially for those who have served. there is a meaning behind each type of coin:

• Penny - A penny at the gravesite means that someone visited the grave that is not related to the person but wants to pay honor to the person and their service in the military.  
• Nickel - A nickel is left by someone who trained at the same boot camp.  
• Dime - A dime means that someone served with the person at some point in the military
• Quarter - a quarter means that the person was there when the service man or woman died.