A Centuries-Old Irish Marriage Locket Containing a Rare Italian Gold Coin Sells for Over £8,500 at London Auction

For centuries, love was thought to be lost to history when an intricately crafted silver locket vanished from the annals of time. Believed to have been fashioned around the year 1660 to commemorate the sacred union of Robert Coppinger and his bride, Margarett—both prominent Catholic landowners residing in County Cork, Ireland—the artifact tells a remarkable story of devotion, faith, survival, and historical serendipity. The oval-shaped silver locket is an exquisite piece of seventeenth-century craftsmanship, adorned on its front with a delicate and detailed engraving of the Nativity. On the reverse, the artistry continues with a depiction of the Adoration of the Magi, accompanied by the clear, enduring inscription reading "ROBT COPPINGER & MARGARETT COPPINGER als. ROCHE," preserving their names and lineage across the centuries.

The historical significance of the locket extends far beyond its exterior engravings. Inside the ornate silver casing lies a deeply personal and spiritually resonant treasure: an engraving of the Crucifixion paired with a remarkably preserved gold 2 doppia coin. Struck in 1619 during the reign of Duke Ranuccio I Farnese in the Italian territories of Parma and Piacenza, the coin was deliberately placed within the locket. As noted by London-based auction house Roseberys in its official press release, this specific currency choice would have carried profound meaning for the Catholic landowning family. During a turbulent era when high-value currency was frequently worn as jewelry both for security and display, the doppia circulated widely as a trade gold coin and was commonly held in the treasuries of wealthy Europeans navigating the complex geopolitical and religious landscapes of the seventeenth century.

The exact circumstances surrounding how the locket was lost, and the precise moment it slipped from the possession of the Coppinger family or their descendants, remain shrouded in mystery. However, its miraculous rediscovery occurred around 1850 beneath the shadow of the historic castle of Mashanaglass, located in County Cork. The artifact was unearthed by a local farm laborer while working the land. Recognizing that the object was of unusual importance, the laborer brought the battered locket to the rector of the local parish. Following initial restoration efforts, the precious keepsake was successfully returned to a descendant of the original Coppinger family, breathing new life into a lost piece of regional and familial heritage.

Reflecting on the extraordinary survival and journey of the piece, Anna Evans, Head of Works of Art at Roseberys, emphasized the rare emotional and historical resonance the object carries. "Very few objects survive with such a vivid sense of the people and place to which they belonged," Evans explained, highlighting how tangible connections to the seventeenth-century Irish landed gentry are exceptionally scarce, particularly those intertwined with personal expressions of marriage and religious identity.

When the remarkable token of love arrived at the Roseberys Fine & Decorative auction on October 1, it came accompanied by a rich archive of documentation that added substantial academic and historical weight to the sale. The lot was paired with a heavily preserved copy of The Cork Historical and Archaeological Society Journal from 1895, which formally reported on the nineteenth-century discovery of the locket near Mashanaglass. Furthermore, the auction lot included a handwritten letter dated 1892 from the Keeper of Coins at the British Museum, providing definitive institutional identification and authentication of the 1619 Italian gold coin resting safely within the silver casing.

Beyond its deeply romantic backstory and cultural associations, the contents of the locket possessed immense numismatic value. Surviving examples of the 2 doppia from this era are exceptionally rare, largely because historical gold coins of such high purity were frequently melted down, re-minted, or lost to economic turmoil over the subsequent centuries. When 1619 doppias do occasionally appear on the market at major international sales, they typically command high prices from dedicated collectors and institutions. True to form, this particular specimen easily outperformed market expectations. Despite a pre-sale auction estimate ranging between £3,000 and £5,000, competitive bidding drove the final realized price to an impressive £8,528.

The survival of the coin itself is nothing short of miraculous, particularly given the dramatic nature of its rediscovery. When the farm laborer unearthed the locket near the castle of Mashanaglass in 1850, the outer silver casing bore the direct brunt of a heavy agricultural spade, leaving permanent structural damage on the exterior metal. Yet, miraculously, the gold coin tucked securely inside remained completely untouched and protected from the blunt force of the tool that brought it back to the light of day.

"The survival of the coin is owed to the locket: sealed inside it, the coin was shielded from the very spade that unearthed it near Mashanaglass around 1850," Roseberys noted in its commentary on the lot. "It is rare to find a coin whose journey from the mint to a marriage keepsake to its rediscovery is so fully documented."

For collectors, historians, and enthusiasts interested in learning more about the seventeenth-century Coppinger marriage locket, its accompanying archival documents, and the details of the recent Roseberys auction, further information can be found directly through the official Roseberys website.