Lincoln Tomb - Superstitions

Superstitions

The nose on Borglum's head of Lincoln remains shiny due to the tradition of rubbing Lincoln's nose for good luck. Thousands of visitors rub the nose at the base of the tomb each year, preventing the nose from tarnishing and forming the brown patina that covers the rest of the head.

Although the rubbing of Lincoln's nose keeps it shiny, it also contributes to the erosion of the statue's metal, which causes a degradation of the original sculpture. Therefore, current and future visitors to the site may not be seeing the original nose of Lincoln.