Anyway, here's what I have so far. (if you can confirm, elaborate on or add to the list, I would appreciate it.)
1) 3 and 6 pence, United Kingdom. The 6 pence had a tradition of bringing luck to newly weds. I know there was an old British nursery rhyme called "Sing a Song of Sixpence", but for the lucky wedding tradition there was this rhyme,
"Something old, something new,
Something borrowed, something blue,
And a silver sixpence in her shoe."
'In England silver threepences were baked inside the traditional Christmas pudding. It was supposed to bring good luck for a whole year to whoever got served the portion with the "joey" in it.' (courtesy of PNightingale)
My question to anyone from the U.K. is: Do any newlyweds in the U.K. still use the 6 pence at weddings. I know it's been discontinued since the beginning of decimalization about 45 years ago. So are there any more coins that are considered lucky in the modern U.K., or has that tradition pretty much died out. I read about an old English custom of putting large pennies on the eyes of dead people to pay their fare in the afterlife or something like that...
2) Cash coin, China. Are Chinese cash coins still considered lucky in China? Are all cash coins considered lucky, or is there just one from a certain emperor that is lucky.
Here's a little list of way to use cash coins:
- carry Chinese coins in wallet to attract wealth
wear coin as a pendant to bless yourself with abundance
place coins in cash register and safe to attract business
hang coins on a red ribbon near your home office or bill paying area add coins to gifts
hang Chinese prosperity symbols in and around your home or business
3) Mercury dime and/or Indian head nickel, U.S.A. Should a mercury dime and/or a Buffalo nickel be considered as lucky coins or included in a collection? I think both have been considered lucky back in the day.
4) 50 filler, Hungary. Bridge = prosperity. This coin has the Erzsébet Bridge in Budapest on the obverse. Is this just a myth, or do some people in Hungary consider it a lucky coin?
5) 1 Pfennig and Euro cent, Germany. Oak Leaf. The 1 Pfennig coin that is the one that is called Glückspfennig (Lucky Pfennig). There is an old German saying; Wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt ist des Talers nicht wert. Which roughly translates to; The one who doesn´t value the pfennig is not worth the taler (reminiscent of 'penny wise and pound foolish'). (Courtesy of Apuking)
- The Glückspfennig symbolises luck and wealth ... when you give one somebody you wish that the person has lcuk and never runs out of money. It seems the lucky pfennig is seen as a smaller version of the baptismal thalers from the 17th century which were worn around the neck or nailed at doors to ward of witches and other evil. Today the cent coin has taken the place of the pfennig as a Lucky Token. (Courtesy of idolenz)
"The oak tree, which is the national tree of many countries, primarily symbolizes strength and endurance. The United States, France, Germany, England, Poland and a number of other countries selected the oak tree as their national tree.
In addition to representing qualities related to power and durability, the oak tree was considered a bearer of good luck, fertility, potency, healing and health by the Druids. Revered by the Druids, it was distinguished as one of three types of sacred trees. The longevity and size of the oak tree was appreciated in addition to the mistletoe and acorns that it produces.
The oak tree is prominent in religious texts and other mythologies. It is mentioned in ancient mythology, and in Celtic, Norse and Greek writings. Ancient kings wore crowns made from oak leaves to symbolize or represent Greek gods. Oak leaf crowns were also given to Roman commanders during victory parades." From Ask.com
6) 1 Toea, Papua New Guinea. The butterfly. Is a butterfly a symbol of luck? All I could find was this from the Farmer's Almanac:
"Some Native American tribes seem to think so. If you catch a butterfly, they say, whisper your wish to it and set it free. The butterfly will deliver your wish to the spirits, who will grant it."
7)Dollar, Cook Islands. Fertility god coin. I'm not really a big fan of this coin. I had a 1972 Cook Island Proof dollar coin and I immediately swapped it for a coin from Angola.
The fertility god is called Tangaroa. Tangaroa is the origin of fire. Māui goes to him to obtain fire for humankind. I haven't figured out why Tangaroa is consider lucky-perhaps he represents fecundity and/or abundance. I am not sure on this one.
8) 10 cent coin, The Netherlands. Lucky coin nicknamed the dubbeltje. Dutchies nowadays still say "een dubbeltje op zijn kant" "it went just good". This coin was originally a 1/10 guilder. (The 10 euro-cent coin is currently also called a dubbeltje in the Netherlands.) (courtesy of Dutchgalego)
I like this version:
