Rare 17th-Century Irish Marriage Locket Containing Italian Gold Coin Sells for Over £8,500 at London Auction

A remarkably preserved and deeply symbolic piece of 17th-century history recently captured the attention of collectors and historians alike when it crossed the auction block in London. Lost for centuries after vanishing from history, a silver marriage locket crafted in 1660 for a prominent Catholic landowning couple in County Cork, Ireland, resurfaced to spark intense competitive bidding. The exquisite artifact, which encapsulates a fascinating intersection of personal romance, religious devotion, and European trade history, ultimately exceeded its pre-sale expectations to achieve a final price of £8,528 at Roseberys Fine & Decorative auction on October 1.

The silver locket, an oval-shaped marvel of seventeenth-century craftsmanship, was originally commissioned to commemorate the matrimony of Robert Coppinger and his wife, Margarett, whose maiden name was Roche. Belonging to a network of Catholic landowners residing in County Cork during a period of significant political and religious tension, the couple chose to immortalize their union through deeply pious iconography. The front of the locket is adorned with a delicate and intricate engraving of the Nativity, anchoring the piece in themes of divine grace and new beginnings. On the reverse side, the engraving shifts to depict the Adoration of the Magi, accompanied by the clear, proud inscription reading “ROBT COPPINGER & MARGARETT COPPINGER als. ROCHE.”

The ornamental richness of the locket does not stop at its exterior engravings. Upon opening the delicate silver case, one is greeted by an interior engraving of the Crucifixion, serving as a solemn and constant reminder of faith for its original owners. Nestled securely inside this sacred casing rests 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. As specialists at Roseberys noted in their extensive press release surrounding the sale, the inclusion of such a high-value foreign coin would have carried a profound, special resonance for the Catholic landowning family. During this era, high-value circulating currency was frequently carried and displayed as jewelry, functioning simultaneously as a portable store of wealth, a statement of social status, and a testament to worldly connections. Doppias functioned widely as a trusted trade gold currency throughout Europe and were commonly found in the possession of wealthy merchants, nobility, and affluent landowners who engaged in cross-border commerce or sought secure assets during turbulent times.

While the origins of the locket are firmly rooted in the mid-seventeenth century, the exact circumstances surrounding how, when, and why it was lost to the earth remain shrouded in mystery. Centuries passed with no record of the sentimental token, leaving the union of Robert and Margarett Coppinger to fade into the quiet background of local genealogy. However, the locket’s long silence was broken around 1850 beneath the historic ruins of the castle of Mashanaglass in County Cork. A local farm laborer, going about routine agricultural work on the land, stumbled upon the buried treasure. Recognizing that he had found something of potential historical and monetary significance, the laborer promptly took the artifact to the rector of the local parish. Under the rector’s guidance, the locket underwent preliminary restoration work before eventually being handed over to a direct descendant of the Coppinger family, returning the heirloom to the lineage that had lost it nearly two hundred years prior.

The journey of the artifact from a forgotten subterranean relic back into the light of day endowed it with a rare and captivating aura. Anna Evans, Head of Works of Art at Roseberys, highlighted the unique emotional and historical resonance of the piece as it prepared for the autumn auction. Very few objects manage to survive the centuries with such a vivid, palpable sense of the specific people, families, and geographic landscapes to which they originally belonged. The locket offered a direct, tangible link to the personal lives of 17th-century Irish nobility, bridging the gap between cold historical records and beating human hearts.

When the precious token of love finally arrived at the Roseberys Fine & Decorative auction, it was accompanied by a rich paper trail that meticulously documented its modern rediscovery and authentication. Among the supporting documents was a rare copy of The Cork Historical and Archaeological Society Journal dating back to 1895, which had published a detailed contemporary report on the unearthing of the locket at Mashanaglass. Alongside the historical journal was a handwritten letter penned in 1892 by the Keeper of Coins at the British Museum, providing formal identification and expert commentary on the 1619 Italian gold coin housed within. This exceptional level of provenance significantly elevated the historical standing of the lot, transforming it from a mere antique into a fully documented chapter of Irish and numismatic history.

Beyond its compelling personal narrative and pristine historical documentation, the lot derived substantial value from the sheer rarity of its internal component. Surviving examples of the 1619 2 doppia are exceedingly scarce in the modern collecting market. Throughout the centuries following their minting, the vast majority of these high-value gold coins were melted down, recast, or reminted to serve newer economic demands, leaving very few specimens intact. Consequently, when authentic 1619 doppias do appear on the market, they typically feature in major high-profile sales and command substantial financial figures from dedicated numismatists.

True to its esteemed reputation and historical significance, the gold doppia inside the Coppinger locket did not defy market expectations. Roseberys had placed a pre-sale auction estimate of £3,000 to £5,000 on the lot, anticipating healthy interest from institutional buyers, private collectors of fine art, and specialists in historical jewelry. As competitive bidding unfolded in the London salesroom, the historical weight and exceptional preservation of the marriage keepsake drove the price well past the upper limit of the estimate. When the final hammer fell, the winning bid stood at an impressive £8,528, reflecting the robust demand for museum-quality artifacts with deeply human stories attached to them.

Despite its triumphant survival and subsequent high-value sale, the locket bore the physical scars of the very moment it was brought back into the world. When the farm laborer struck the earth near the castle of Mashanaglass in 1850, the sharp edge of his spade unfortunately made heavy contact with the silver casing, leaving a visible dent that bore witness to its harsh unearthing. Miraculously, however, the delicate gold coin resting safely inside was left completely untouched by the metal tool.

Specialists noted that the very existence of the pristine 1619 coin is directly attributable to the protective sanctuary provided by the locket itself. Sealed tightly within the silver casing, the gold doppia was thoroughly shielded from the force of the spade that unearthed it nearly two centuries ago. Numismatic experts and historians frequently remark on how extraordinary it is to encounter an artifact whose complete life cycle—from its original creation at an Italian mint, to its intimate role as a seventeenth-century marriage keepsake, to its dramatic rediscovery by a nineteenth-century farm laborer—is so fully and impeccably documented.

For collectors and enthusiasts seeking further details regarding the historic Coppinger marriage locket, the supporting documentation, and upcoming sales events, additional information remains accessible through the official Roseberys website.