Ooh, that's interesting!
Have you read 'Five' about the Ripper victims?
It is brilliant.
The author posted on her Twitter that the victims' graves often have piles of pennies on them as a mark of respect. Apparently the only reason they were attacked was because they were rough sleepers (they weren't prostitutes as commonly believed)) and they couldn't afford the 4 pennies for a room in a boarding house.
When people visit the graves they put the pennies on as a way of saying that they would've helped (albeit 150 years later) and as a memorial to them.
*sorry, I know I've gone OT in a big way but this has really piqued my interest!
I did not know this. This is an anything goes thread btw
I find this fascinating and poignant.