# pennies over doorways? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 16, 2007, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389 "2007-09-16T14:36:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cedman)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/1 "2007-09-16T14:36:30Z")
A friend has just moved into a rental duplex and asked me about something she noticed there. There are pennies attached to the overhead doorframes of the entry door, bedroom doors and bathroom door. Can any of our dopers shed light on why the former tenent (or owner?) would do something like this? What does it mean? Thanks, CedricR. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/2 "2007-09-16T14:44:43Z")
Probably the last tenant. It’s an old superstition that you will have good luck if you place a penny over each doorway when you move into a new home. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/3 "2007-09-16T15:28:27Z")
Time to go in the back yard and dig up [St. Joseph](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mstjoe.html). ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/4 "2007-09-16T16:59:38Z")
Pennies, eh? Well, that explains Arnie’s apartment. Arnie is hearing impaired, and there are panties above all of his doorways. Maybe I’ll tell him about the pennies. Maybe I won’t. [QUOTE=KneadToKnow] Time to go in the back yard and dig up [St. Joseph](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mstjoe.html). [/QUOTE] When I sold my house, my realtor advised against substituting St. Joseph Aspirin for the statue. I had a feeling there was more to the story, but I changed the subject. Sometimes, sometimes, it’s best to go with your gut feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/5 "2007-09-16T17:27:59Z")
_ **Pennies** _ over doorways? I misheard. I’d better take The Holmes down. ---
**Author:** ![NardoPolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NardoPolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NardoPolo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/6 "2007-09-16T17:48:04Z")
My grandparents ascribed to a similar superstition. 'Cept theirs required them to leave pennies on the windowsill. They “refreshed” the pennies each New Year’s Eve. They said it was supposed to bring good fortune into the house. I often wondered if that superstition wasn’t started by an enterprising hobo… encourage the townsfolk to leave pennies on the windowsills so that when the hobo returns he’ll have an easy grab at some cash. ---
**Author:** ![cedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cedman)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/7 "2007-09-16T22:21:20Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Probably the last tenant. It’s an old superstition that you will have good luck if you place a penny over each doorway when you move into a new home. [/QUOTE] I had guessed that it had to do with luck. My personal belief is that if you have money in your POCKET you have good luck, but each to his own I suppose! CedricR. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/8 "2007-09-17T04:43:39Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] _ **Pennies** _ over doorways? I misheard. I’d better take The Holmes down. [/QUOTE] … _Pennies ensued!_ ---
**Author:** ![Point\_No\_Point](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@Point\_No\_Point](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Point_No_Point)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/9 "2007-09-17T15:19:17Z")
Around here, every cabin has a lucky horseshoe over the doorway. Same idea I guess. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/10 "2007-09-17T22:17:31Z")
I keep pennies over my doors, because you can unlock mine that way. There’s a little slit in the center of the handle, and if you turn it it unlocks (or locks) the door. I keep them because my kids like to lock doors, and I don’t want to have to go looking for a coin or something every time I want to get in. I didn’t even know it was lucky. Just another thought. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/11 "2007-09-17T23:03:19Z")
[QUOTE=cedman] There are pennies attached to the overhead doorframes of the entry door, bedroom doors and bathroom door. [/QUOTE] Heads up or tails up? For the superstitious this is important. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/12 "2007-09-19T23:27:21Z")
[QUOTE=cedman] I had guessed that it had to do with luck. My personal belief is that if you have money in your POCKET you have good luck, but each to his own I suppose! CedricR. [/QUOTE] The OP (that’s you) asked about pennies. Didn’t say nuthin about money. Funny how things are almost always about really low-value stuff. Pennies, aspirins, Worn-out horse shoes etc. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/13 "2007-09-19T23:32:07Z")
[QUOTE=miss elizabeth] I keep pennies over my doors, because you can unlock mine that way. There’s a little slit in the center of the handle, and if you turn it it unlocks (or locks) the door. I keep them because my kids like to lock doors, and I don’t want to have to go looking for a coin or something every time I want to get in. I didn’t even know it was lucky. Just another thought. [/QUOTE] Is it that safe there where you live, that you can use bathroom door locks on the front door? Try that in my neighborhood and you wouldn’t even have a _door_ when you get home. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cedman)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/14 "2007-09-20T10:31:40Z")
[QUOTE=Chez Guevara] Heads up or tails up? For the superstitious this is important. [/QUOTE] They seem to have been put up without regard to heads or tails! CedricR. ---
**Author:** ![cedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cedman)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennies-over-doorways/419389/15 "2007-09-20T10:33:40Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] The OP (that’s you) asked about pennies. Didn’t say nuthin about money. Funny how things are almost always about really low-value stuff. Pennies, aspirins, Worn-out horse shoes etc. Peace, mangeorge [/QUOTE] Probably because that would make REAL EASY to benefit from the “luck”? CedricR. who doesn’t believe in luck but who does believe in keeping your ears, eyes and mind OPEN!