Coin under the mast

Ahoy fellow sailors!
I'm getting ready to haul out my 1969 Ericson 26 and de-stepped her mast last weekend. I don't think the rigging has been done since she was built. It was in need of some serious maintenance. Anyway, how many have found a coin under the mast? Does anyone know if this was a tradition Ericson Yachts did? Share your stories. We DID have a coin on ours. I found a 1922 silver US liberty dollar.

None on mine when she became... well, mine. I commissioned a bunch of dealer-new Ericsons in Newport Beach back in the day, but putting a coin under the mast was not part of the dealer (or factory) protocol. I do remember some owners did it on their own when the rig went in for the first time.

When I re-stepped the rig on mine I did epoxy (*) a coin to the mast step. a 1984 silver dollar, as 1984 was the year of her birth.

(*) epoxy to provide a layer of isolation between the coin and the mast step casting, so I wouldn't worry about it turning the less-noble aluminum into powder...

In 2021, I put a pair a Susan B Anthony dollar coins under our mast, glued to the step plate to be sure they would not migrate to where they might impede the (rain)water weep hole.
Double our Luck for a safe passage, was my theory.

Loren Beach said:

In 2021, I put a pair a Susan B Anthony dollar coins under our mast, glued to the step plate to be sure they would not migrate to where they might impede the water weep hole.
Double Luck, was my theory.

Click to expand...

Loren,
If you ever get to Rochester, this earns you a tour of the Susan B Anthony Museum & House, on me!

Scandsailor said:

Ahoy fellow sailors!
I'm getting ready to haul out my 1969 Ericson 26 and de-stepped her mast last weekend. I don't think the rigging has been done since she was built. It was in need of some serious maintenance. Anyway, how many have found a coin under the mast? Does anyone know if this was a tradition Ericson Yachts did? Share your stories. We DID have a coin on ours. I found a 1922 silver US liberty dollar.

Click to expand...

Just a thought. That coin could be worth more than the boat now?

Apparently a silver coin placed under a wood mast could very well have imparted a degree of good luck by reducing the incidence of rot as a result of the anti-biological properties of silver. On the other hand, I would worry about the same coin on my aluminum mast step for the potential of galvanic corrosion. Might be safer to leave a $20 bill.