# Are Americans the only ones that throw money in fountains? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 28, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898 "2011-09-28T16:32:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898/61 "2012-05-31T06:33:51Z")
> [@Silver\_Tyger](#): > > … How about just random water? … Human bodies, > [@Ulfreida](#): > > … the ancient Celts who used to toss human sacrifices into lakes. … (wasn’t it bogs more than lakes?) for religious purposes, not just to hide the body, and swords. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898/62 "2012-05-31T08:43:30Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I believe that the custom originated with the ancient Celts who used to toss human sacrifices into lakes. This is our attenuated version long since bereft of meaning. Not the ancient Islanders who used to toss human sacrificial virgins into volcanoes? ETA: They still do that, don’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898/63 "2012-05-31T09:51:12Z")
I heard the Ivert Fountain throws money at _you_. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898/64 "2012-05-31T18:03:18Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I heard the Ivert Fountain throws money at _you_. I thought it was, “In [Manezhnaya Square](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manezhnaya_Square,_Moscow), fountain throw coins at _you_!” Or, if you have a less bourgeois outlook, then “in Manezhnaya Square, fountain redistribute money to you!” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898/65 "2012-05-31T19:06:09Z")
You’re thinking of [Soviet Rochester](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reservoir_Fountain_-_Highland_Park_-_Rochester,_New_York.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898/66 "2012-06-01T14:24:56Z")
It’s not only bodies of water. People also leave money in religious structures. There is a pile of coins in the ruins of the oratory on [Innisfallen Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innisfallen_Island) in Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland. I’ve also seen coins on the floor of the [Gallarus Oratory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallarus_Oratory) in Dingle, Co. Kerry. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898/67 "2012-06-01T14:52:03Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Not the ancient Islanders who used to toss human sacrificial virgins into volcanoes? No. You’re thinking of Trevi Fountain. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898/68 "2012-06-01T15:05:28Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Human bodies,(wasn’t it bogs more than lakes?) for religious purposes, not just to hide the body, and swords. And criminal executions. The four main purposes of bog bodies were religious sacrifices, hiding the body, distribution of swords, execution of criminals, and victims of will of the wisp. Wait, I’ll come in again. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898/69 "2012-06-01T19:51:24Z")
I hate to hijack this information-rich thread, but it occurs to me that we know about the bog-sacrifices because acidic bog water is preserving (essentially pickling), while if somebody was sacrificed to the Lake God they might just rot pretty fast. Do we know that bogs were preferred, or just handy? ---
**Author:** ![HotDogWater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/35a633/32.png) [@HotDogWater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HotDogWater)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898/70 "2012-06-01T21:20:57Z")
There is a fountain in the lobby of my building. I looked in it today. It contains 41 cents… ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898/71 "2012-06-07T15:05:27Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > … wasn’t it bogs more than lakes? … I’d say marshes that with time turned into bogs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-the-only-ones-that-throw-money-in-fountains/597898.md?page=3)