Coffin or Casket - are they the same?

Are coffins and caskets the same thing? The answer is no. 
We may use the terms interchangeably, but they are different. 

First, a brief history lesson...

The 'casket' can be traced back to ancient Egypt where nobles were wrapped in cloth and then entombed in a sarcophagus which is an ornately decorated box. As the years have passed, there have been many incarnations of the coffin depending on the region and also customs of society. 
Beginning around the 8^th century in Europe, the Celts were known for making caskets out of flat stones but those were only used to bury aristocrats and nobility. Common-folk were just simply wrapped in cloth and placed into a hole in the ground.
In the United States, early caskets and coffins were made of wood on an as-needed basis by local furniture or cabinet makers who also doubled as the undertakers. During the time of the Civil War, this changed when thousands of coffins were needed to transport bodies of the deceased soldiers.  Essentially, a new industry was then established in order to mass produce the needed caskets. 

Now that we have learned a bit of history, lets discuss some differences between coffins and caskets. 

A coffin shape is tapered at the head and foot, whereas a casket is rectangular in shape.
A coffin has a removable top and a casket has a hinged top.
Coffins are six-sided, and are hardly used in the United States in modern times. Casket shapes are rectangular and are primarily made of thin metal or a hard wood like oak or mahogany.  Caskets are also made from simple plywood, pine, fiberglass, stainless steel, copper or bronze. 
source: Alirangues , L. (n.d.). Morbid Outlook - Funerary Practices - Early and Modern America. Retrieved October 17, 2013, from http://www.morbidoutlook.com/nonfiction/articles/2003_06_america.html



picture source: Victoria Funerals (n.d.). Coffins, Caskets, and Urns | Victoria Funerals Products. Retrieved October 17, 2013, from http://www.victoriafunerals.com.au/includes/ourProducts/ourProducts.html

Majority of coffins used in the Ozarks( Missouri)  in the early twentieth century were homemade. Besides the rectangular shape, many were made pointed or shaped like the body.

 

A coffin was homemade whereas a casket was purchased from a local undertaker or a local furniture store.

Brelowski, D. (1975). Springfield-Greene County Library -- Bittersweet. Retrieved October 17, 2013, from http://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/bittersweet/fa75f.htm



Question of the day: Have you been to a funeral where the body was put in a coffin or a casket? Would you choose a coffin or casket for yourself or a loved one?