What makes people believe that carrying a lucky coin, a rabbit’s foot, or any other amulet will bring them good luck? Indeed, no evidence would lead anyone to trust in such a thing. Yet, scores of everyday people continue to believe and hope that their special talisman will ensure their good fortune.
On the other hand, there are certain things that people believe must be avoided to guard their safety or help them dodge bad luck. For some unaccountable reason, many people seem to have superstitious beliefs in good or bad luck that are trusted beyond reason and thought to influence a person’s life, actions, and prosperity.
The four-leaf clover, a rabbit’s foot, and, as many collectors will admit, one’s favorite coin are leading candidates for ensuring a person’s good fortune. Illogical as these views may be, the tradition of believing in such things is centuries old.
Backstory
Ancient Romans believed in the power of amulets and charms, as is seen in their use of the inscription utere felix, which means “good luck to the user.” Sailors believed that a coin placed under the ship’s mast brought good luck and a safe journey. That tradition began with the ancient Roman custom of placing a coin in the mouth of the dead, enabling them to pay Charon, a mythological ferryman, to transport them across the River Styx to embark on their afterlife.
The Chinese tradition of Feng Shui affirms that placing three coins tied with a red ribbon inside your wallet and adding a red envelope with a coin sealed inside your purse will attract more money and good luck.
Coins & Traditions
Numerous modern world coins contain designs, wording, or symbols pertaining to good luck or prosperity, like several New Zealand coins bearing the image of a Tiki figure offering good fortune to everyone who carries a coin with his image.
Closer to home, most people will recover coins they find while walking. “Find a penny and pick it up” is a familiar rhyme in many English-speaking countries. However, many believe it must be facing “heads up” to evoke its power. Various associated rhymes are “Find a penny and pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck,” “Find a penny and let it lie, you’ll need that penny before you die,” and “Share the penny with a friend, and your luck will never end.”
In merry-old England, a favorite custom involves placing a coin in the bride’s shoe. The well-known rhyme says that a bride should wear something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in her shoe. The custom began during Victorian times when the coin symbolized the couple’s future wealth and good fortune. Traditionally, the bride should place it in her left shoe to be most effective.
When in Rome, visitors must never fail to visit the famous Trevi Fountain and throw coins in its magical water. According to tradition, they must be thrown using the right hand over the left shoulder to bring good luck and never retrieved for fear of reprisal.
Conversely, some coins are considered hexed, like the Canadian British Columbia 1958 commemorative dollar, which shows a Totem Pole with a raven design that symbolizes death to some indigenous natives, and the coin came to be known as the “death dollar.” Canada also issued $1 to $100 bills in 1954 with what looked like the image of a devil in the queen’s hair and was seen as an omen of bad luck, and some people consider them to be jinxed.
The charming and sometimes provocative signs, symbols, and messages seen on numerous coins from their beginning in the 7th century B.C. to today have a unique dimension that should not be overlooked by collectors seeking a new or challenging field of interest and enjoyment—and possibly additional good luck along the way.
