Brian May is known for playing with a coin. He started doing this because he used to play with his father's plectrum when he was a child. He would flip it and catch it, and he found that it helped him to relax and focus. He would also use it to help him keep time when he was playing. He would eventually start using a sixpence, which is a British coin. He would use this because it was the same size as a plectrum and it had a hole in the middle so he could put his finger through it. He would use his thumb to hold it in place and then use his other fingers to pluck the strings. He still uses a coin to this day, and he has even made his own custom coins with his face on them.