I have wondered if the tradition was the reason for a silver "trade dollar" that my grandfather kept, although no one in the family ever made reference for a reason for it. He was born (1884) shortly after the family arrived in Kansas from Indiana, apparently in a small group of settlers.

The coin shows a mint date the same year he was born, and that alone would have made it something of a "keepsake," and he did say once that it was given to him "when he was born."

Trade Dollars were for a time "illegal" under a US ban on private possession of "pure silver" so it's possible he kept it because some in the family thought he'd go to jail if he tried the sell it. (The coin is stamped ".999 FINE" (IIRC - but it might be .997).

A second item from the family that might also be related to a "tradition" unknown to us was a small doll dressed in a gown matching the one his son (my dad) wore for his christening. We have a photo of him in his gown, and it's a very close match for the one on the doll. We were told the doll's gown was crocheted by "his aunt" but there's no record or memory of which aunt. Perhaps some one has heard of a tradition (or even just a common practice) of that sort?

John