My Grandmother once showed me a coin that she has been saving since 1945.  It has a great story that I would like to share with you.  After my grandparents survived the Holocaust they were one of the first to come by boat to New York.  They were here, staying with my grandmother's uncle for about a week when my grandfather got his first job.  He was hired at a gas station, he thought to be a mechanic.  Turns out he was pumping gas.  He did not last long at the job, since he was a skilled precision tool and die maker and quickly found other work.  But on his first week on the job pumping gas-- someone gave him a tip of this 1943 $0.50 piece. 

When he brought it home to my grandmother the two of them sat in amazement.  It was a huge tip for then-- enough for a week's groceries a tank of gas, etc.....  Sometimes life is made up of these magical moments.  After surviving 6 years of concentration camps, I think this tip meant a little something extra to them.  Perhaps it was a confirmation of freedom, perhaps it was a good omen for the many happy years they would have together raising a family in the US.

Who knows?  But my grandma saved the coin all this time, and shared the great story with us. When she told it, she said that she wanted to be buried with the coin.  Although we all were sad when she said this  I decided to make her a locket so if she wanted to, she could wear the coin.