Two Coins In The Stonework it was an old tradition dating back to Roman times.

[jeff of pa]

Recently, there were a couple of news stories about finding old coins in stonework. The BBC reported that two Georgian coins dated 1804 were discovered during a church restoration in Worchestershire, England. They had been carefully placed in a buttress eighty feet up in the church tower. The church plans to display the old silver coins and will replace them with new 2011 coins. What's the exact location of the new coins? Well, that's the stonemason's secret.

In Washington, DC, stonemasons found coins while repairing damage to the National Cathedral after the August earthquake. They discovered them in the mortar between sections of stone. Joe Alonso, head stonemason, said that the coins were saved and will be put back into the mortar when the stonework is reattached to the towers.



Two Coins In The Stonework

 

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[Frankn]

When I was doing masonry work with my brotherinlaw His cousin who had come over from Italy told me about that tradition. The coin is layed flat on top of a stone in the corner and mortar is placed on it and the next stone on that. The tradition is that it brings lasting strength to the building. I guess that church in England is going to fall down.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

I always leave a new coin in the walls whenever I do any remodeling, usually a nickel since pennies just dissolve.