Talk:Coffin

message: Etymology is interesting, but what about the historical relevance of putting bodies in coffins? Does anyone have some good sources on the history of the practice? 76.125.192.182 (talk) 17:34, 22 November 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: Historical info?

message: What are specification of an average casket?
Is there any law against burying a human in a cardboard box? (in the United States of America) I heard that some people are buying cardboard boxes and then the whole family decorates it together.  But I wouldn't want to be cremated but instead buried in the cardboard box.  Is that okay?
:I would guess that legal burial containers are defined by state and local law, and thus will vary depending on where you wish to be buried.  Suggestion:  call a local funeral director and ask.  Cryptonymius 06:12, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Cardboard?

message: The following lines had been placed at the bottom of the coffin article;
So-called "protective" caskets, that use a gasket to "seal" the unit after the body has been placed inside,  actually accelerate decomposition of the body under certain conditions.  
A "protective" casket does not preserve the body. No casket, coffin or vault preserves the body.
I rewrote these lines, and moved them to what I think would be a better location in the article.  I think there could be NPOV concerns here in regards to protective coffins, so I'm trying to tread lightly here.
JesseG 03:49, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
As far as I know his is correct, but there really should be a source for this claim. It is a ground to tread carefully because there are disputes about warranties and such regarding coffins that seal.  PollitzerBK (talk) 15:32, 10 December 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Protective coffins

message: Should I split the article into the articles "Coffin" and "Casket (funerary)"?  There is a difference between the two!  A coffin is hexagonal (like Lincoln's coffin at the top of the page) but a casket is square (like the new American style funeral casket).  --69.158.124.43 (talk) 20:14, 3 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Splitting the article

message: I'm not convinced by the definition of "pall" as a coffin during transport.  Other sources suggest it's a cloth covering placed over a coffin, tomb, hearse, etc.  (Different from a shroud, mind.)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a pall is a cloth (white) that covers the casket as the Mass of Christian Burial begins in the sanctuary.  It is part of the rite and recalls the deceased person's baptism.
: Absolutely. I've never heard such use. This is probably UL or some twisted misconception.
From Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate:  "PALL  1 : PALLIUM 1a, 2 a : a square of linen usually stiffened with cardboard that is used to cover the chalice  b (1) : a heavy cloth draped over a coffin  (2) : a coffin especially when holding a body."  ....though obviously not a sense of the word common in mainstream useage.  Cryptonymius 06:12, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Pall

message: Well, thanks for that bit in the article. Also the Wake article does distinguish between them ("a coffin or a casket ..."). In Germany, we say Sarg for both - no distinctions. -andy 80.129.122.8 14:34, 9 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I wouldn't say that contemporary American English makes the distinction, either. It seems to me like it's a distinction mostly made within the industry, and is not at all widespread amongst laypersons. This map seems to back me up on this one.  Bardbom (talk) 02:54, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

text: Agreed. In the US the difference between funerary casket and coffin is usally the difference between "passed/departed" and "dead." There are (mild) connotations of "lining or not," and "wooden or not," "handles or not," and "coffin-shapped or not." But they are not rigorous in the U.S.-- there were "iron coffins" in the 19th century (really expensive ones), just as there are wooden caskets now.  The only possible exception to the rule is when all connotative differences are present, so that the fully historical thing is re-created.  An old-fashioned coffin-shaped wooden box (straight boards, no curves) without handles and no liner, closed with nails, would probably never be called a casket in this country. Anyone seeing such a thing would say it's a historical funeral coffin, in the same way that an old-fashioned shoulder-fired muzzle-loaded, smoothbore firearm is a musket and not properly (ever) a rifle. Unless you really don't know what you're talking about. Anyway, the lead should probably reflect this blurring. SBHarris 22:57, 10 June 2013 (UTC)
thread_title: Casket/Coffin distinction

message: I am planning to remove the section about manufacturers.  There are manufacturers all over the world - in vast numbers.  WP is not a telephone directory.  Does anyone object? Maustrauser 02:18, 11 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Manufacturers

message: The opening section states that remains are placed in a coffin after cremation.  I'd have sworn the remains must go in the box before cremation, and afterwards into a much smaller container, such as an urn...and the Wiki page on cremation appears to concur.  Cryptonymius 06:12, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  You are right.  Remains after cremation are usually placed in an urn.  I've fixed this. Maustrauser 01:19, 4 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Cremation

message: Is this statement really necessary within this section?
"Examples of such showrooms can be seen on the A&E show Family Plots, and the HBO drama Six Feet Under."
Because it interrupts the flow of an encyclopedic article. Optikill (talk) 18:26, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Casket industry 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just added archive links to  on Coffin. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add  after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add  to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
*Added archive https://web.archive.org/20101227030320/http://www.funerals.org/faq/pdf-pamphlets/doc_view/29-what-shall-we-do-with-the-ashes to http://www.funerals.org/faq/pdf-pamphlets/doc_view/29-what-shall-we-do-with-the-ashes
When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.
Cheers. —cyberbot IITalk to my owner:Online 03:49, 17 October 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links modified