Why Do People Leave Coins on Graves?

Visit a veterans’ cemetery and you may see coins on the tops of headstones. What do they mean? This article explains the popular meanings, and what is known and not known about where the custom came from.

What do the coins mean?

A widely repeated code. The Montana Department of Military Affairs says that a nickel means you and the deceased veteran trained at boot camp together, a dime means you served together in some capacity, and a quarter means you were there when the veteran died. Several accounts say a penny means you visited. A coin left on the headstone is also commonly described as a message to the family that someone stopped by to pay respects. These meanings are folk tradition, not official rules, and not every visitor follows them.

Is it only for veterans?

Mostly. Mental Floss says that while some civilians have started leaving coins on friends’ and loved ones’ graves, it is still mainly a military tradition. Funeral.com says the best-known version of the custom is tied to veterans.

Where did it come from?

No one knows for certain. Snopes and many other sites say the practice of leaving coins on the headstones of military men and women goes back to the Roman Empire. Mental Floss and others link it to Charon’s obol, the ancient Greek practice of placing a coin in a dead person’s mouth or over the eyes so the ferryman Charon would carry them to the underworld. But KTAL, citing the Department of Military Affairs, says the U.S. military adopted the custom of placing coins on service members’ graves during the Vietnam War. Funeral.com says it is hard to verify a single neat origin that covers every place and time, and suggests treating the history as layered: some old myths about coins and the dead, plus a more modern American practice that became visible at military graves.

How is it different from stones on Jewish graves?

They are separate customs. Mental Floss compares it to the Jewish practice of leaving stones to show that someone has visited. KTAL says the origins of the Jewish custom are unknown, and that placing small stones signifies a desire to remember and honor loved ones. See Why Jewish Mourners Place Stones on Graves.

Is it okay to leave a coin?

Many people do it as a sign of respect. Cemeteries may have their own rules about items left on graves, so check with the cemetery. For military honors and markers, see Military Funeral Honors and VA Headstones and Markers.