The Good Luck Cork

So what is a good luck cork you say?  My knowledge extends as far as what I was told by my friends, based on what they were told by a friend in Italy.
Based on a little bit of a research that I have since conducted, it is meant to signify good luck.  Traditionally, it involves a silver coin wedged in a Champagne cork.  

This is what I found via two posts on Yahoo! Answers (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080305120632AAldhNE):

"dont know where the traditions from but i know my gran did this for each of my children when they were born and ive put them in their keepske boxes [...]"

and

"When I catered for weddings I always put a 50p coin in the 1st Champagne bottle and presented it to the bride, when I got married in 1967 my grandmother put a half crown coin in my toast bottle cork - for luck - we have just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary."

Also, the top-most post links to this page on BBC where there's a whole thing on Corks http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A735789 Here is what it says:

Corks
This doesn't have to be a champagne cork but it does need to be from a bottle. When a bottle is shared and the occasion is a happy one, take the cork from the bottle, making a wish that the pleasure you feel at this happy event is repeated, placing a coin in a slit on the top of the cork as you do so. Sleep with the cork under the pillow and then place it in your pocket for the next day. Rub the cork any day thereafter (it's advisable not to rub the cork too vigorously as this may elicit looks of disgust from passers-by) whenever you wish to hear from the people that shared the bottle with you. Do not wish for love, but rather, continuing happiness; corks symbolise buoyancy, not love.

I have not done the whole sleeping with it under my pillow or rubbing it yet... hope it's not too late!

In the end, I think it's a nifty tradition that is cool and something that I am thankful to my friends for sharing.  I am sure that it's also a ritual that I will be adapting as well.  Sister, for your housewarming, the cork is on me!

The pictures below are of the corks that I received from my friends Melissa & Mike (the one with the Euro), as well as the one from Fred's mom (the one with the NYC Subway token- now that's old school).

Enjoy traditions, embrace them, they make ordinary moments extra-ordinary!