Most coins hammered into a wish tree

Over 48,000 coins have been pushed or hammered into the bark of a log, known as a coin-tree, on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, Yorkshire. The hardwood log stretches 11 metres across a popular riverside footpath, every inch of it encrusted with coins. The coins are mainly pennies but there are some higher denominations, including pounds, and non-British currency.

An interpretation panel beside it reads, ‘The Money Tree: Does money really grow on trees? Most of the coins in this tree are 2p pieces. Can you find any very old coins in the tree? Some people say pushing a coin into the tree trunk will bring you good luck.’

People were hammering coins into trees – known today as "coin trees" or "wishing trees" – as a healing ritual or for wishes in Ireland and Scotland during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The custom resurfaced at the start of the 21st century. Coin-trees can be found across Great Britain and Ireland, often in the form of logs lying next to woodland paths.