Photo courtesy of Jamie/Flickr

My father was a Christmas traditionalist. He hated the way Christmas had become commercialized, always complaining how people were forgetting the true meaning of the holiday.

While he let my mom spoil my brother and I with presents, he refused to give up on one tradition his parents had passed down to him and his three sisters.

He was sure to buy silver coins in advance. On Christmas, he put three silver coins in our stocking each and every year. He did it for my brother and me for twenty five years, and then had the pleasure (believe me, nothing made him happier) of adding his grandchildren, one by one as they were born, to the list. He continued to give those silver coins every Christmas until he passed away in 2008.

This tradition was so important to him that when he was in the hospital during the Christmas season of 2007, fighting off an infection, all he kept asking me was if I bought enough coins to give to everyone on his behalf.

History and Tradition

In the year 280 AD, in an area that’s now part of Turkey known as Patara, Saint Nicholas was born. He became a Christian bishop and was famous for helping the poor.

Legend has it, Saint Nicholas, put silver coins into a young girl’s stocking at Christmas time.  This was the model that morphed into the jolly Santa Claus known far and wide as the man that gives toys to children all around the world with the help of his elves, reindeer and of course, his Mrs.

And that isn’t the only Christmas tradition that involves silver coins.

Have you heard of Christmas pudding?  This is pudding that actually has silver coins in it.

Thankfully, my dad never whipped up any of this, as I’m sure it would have led to a few broken teeth!

I remember as if it were yesterday how excited I was when I was five years old.  That Christmas stands out as the first time that I can recall finding the coins in my stocking.  I remember my dad giving me coins every year after, telling the story of St. Nicholas and how special these coins were.  He was also sure to let me know that they would come in handy one day when I needed them for something important.

In my early teen years, I would take out all my coins and lay them on my bed while I imagined buying a big house with all my riches.  Of course, little did I know I had a long way to go!

Gifting Silver Coins

When you think about it, silver coins are a great gift.  If you tell a story with them, they can hold tremendous sentimental value as they do for me.  They are actually a gift that has the ability to appreciate over time.

There are many choices when it comes to what silver coins to buy.  My dad liked giving 1 ounce coins; however, there are plenty to choose from.  There are even special edition coins that can become collector pieces. Collector pieces have the opportunity to increase in value even more than just what the spot price of silver could possibly appreciate to.

Silver is used by some investors as a way of straight speculation for gain.  Other investors use silver as a hedge against inflation.

Silver can also be used as a “hard currency”, since it’s not tied to anything other than itself and the demand it brings. In times of unrest whether from financial collapse or other turmoil, those that buy silver for a worst case scenario plan on using it to buy goods and services in order to survive.

As for me, I’m going to continue to carry on the tradition with my three sons.  At the time I’m writing this, I’m about to order my nine coins.  I can’t wait to see the look on their faces.