Give a Coin

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XLIV

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Jul 27, 2013
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In a movie recently I saw a scene where someone gave a knife to a man for his birthday and the following comment was "now give a coin. It's bad luck to not give a coin to whoever gives you a knife"

Is this a true wives tale? Anyone else ever hold to it? I did once and seemed well received but just checking with the egg spurts.

44
 
I've seen this done numerous times up here.
The last time was when I gave my brother a new knife and fishing reel for his 50th.
 
Well the myth goes if you gift a knife it will sever the friendship...so you must gift a coin as payment to maintain the friendship. :)
 
This has been discussed a couple times and it's an interesting tradition. I follow it and always include a coin to be given back to me if I gift a knife. One of the things I remember reading is that it dated back to Viking times where it would have been an insult to give someone a weapon, implying that they weren't man enough to provide for themselves. So the knife/axe/weapon had to be paid for or it would hurt the friendship. I always heard it being "the smallest silver coin in your purse" so I usually use an old silver dime.

I am not superstitious but I think it's a shame to let some of the old ways die.
 
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My father gave me his 2 blade Case knife,a 5233 with XX Down and also gave me a 1947 dime for the year I was born. This was many years back so he evidently heard the folklore. When my son achieved Eagle Scout, I included a 1992 Quarter with the knife I gave him. I like the folklore/tradition concept.
 
Just the opposite. Person receiving the knife gifts a coin to the giver. At a birthday party I gave a 12 yo his first knife ( parents permission of course) and the kids grandfather woke from his easy chair at the unwrapping and uttered " now give the man a coin) so it's probably one of those unwritten rules that most boys don't hear about anymore being feminized by TV and their liberal teachers at school.

I love the Viking twist to this tale.

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not an old wives tale, its the way it is.

Why, because that's the way my grandfather did it, and his father and grandfather.:cool:



I don't know how or if it works, but that's the explanation I got and the one I gave my grandson when I gave him his first Knife. He didn't even blink, just said OK.
 
I have heard of it twice before, once on the traditional forum were it was referenced and another time somewhere else on the forum where one of our members gave an older man a knife after several conversations with him when he was selling some at a flea market or garage sale (can't remember) since he couldn't afford to buy any from him.
 
Never heard of this tradition (and my grandfather was in the cutlery business in NY) but I find it interesting nonetheless.
 
A student of psychology would recognize this behavior as "magical thinking" . It implies that an inanimate object offered in a friendly manner can sever a friendship. Although I can see how offering an engagement ring to your best friend might do it. :)
 
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