My favorite time to walk the beach is after a good storm. So many treasures are to be found, washed ashore or tossled onto the beach out of the ordinary finds. This morn was another of those mornings. Sand dollars were everywhere!
Finding a whole sand dollar still intact is a real treasure. Lots of folks look for them, but spotting a whole one.. that’s the ticket.
They really haven’t any dollar value, but are actual burrowing sea urchins. When they wash up onto the beach and then bleached dry by the sun, they look like a large silver coin.. hence their name.
There is a religious legend about these creatures that says they represent the story of Christ:
On the top of the shell is a symbol that looks like a star, a reminder of the Star of Bethlehem that led wise men to the Christ Child.. around the star is an outline of an Easter Lily, a reminder of the Lord’s resurrection. Then there are five holes in a sand dollar – four around the ends of the star and one in the center. According to the religious legend, the four holes represent the four wounds of Christ when his hands and feet were nailed to the cross. The center hole represents the wound made from a soldier’s spear.
When you turn the sand dollar over, you will see the outline of a poinsettia, the Christmas flower. And when you crack open a sand dollar, you will always find five dove shaped pieces emerging. The doves… a symbol of peace and goodwill.
There is also another mythical legend that suggests sand dollars are really coins lost by mermaids, or the people of Atlantis, the mythical city that sank beneath the oceans eons ago. To beachcombers of old, this shell represented a large silver coin such as the old Spanish or American dollar coin.
Well, I don’t know which legend to really believe, but this beachcomber of today has lots and lots.. hundreds for sure of collected sand dollars over many years.. because to me they are a lovely meaningful beach treasure and beautiful coastal find. 🕊️
Thyme Goes By... 