2016-02-15 Mon

The finest known rare Heart silver 8-real “cob” coin was the real heartthrob during Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC’s auction on 29th October as it realized an impressive hammer price of $100,000.

The 1704-Y silver coin was made for religious purposes and only 40 such examples exist today. This particular rare coin is even more special as it is also unholed, unlike the other coins of the same type

The Heart coins originated in the 1690s, in all four denominations, 1, 2, 4 and 8 reales during the reign of Charles II of Spain. According to the common belief, the Heart coins were a part of the Catholic tradition of votive offerings known as “ex-voto.” These votives are often in the form of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Also, many of the ancient ex-votos on display in Catholic churches around the world are silver and even coin-sized. The Sacred Heart of Jesus represents Jesus’ divine love for humanity, and though initial devotion to the Heart began in the 13th century, a renewed reverence began in the 1680s and 1690s.

The first Heart 8-real cob known today was made in 1702. One of the biggest followers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was the new king of Spain himself, Philip V. Fifteen different dates of Heart 8-real cobs from during King Philip V’s reign are known from Potosi. It is not yet clear as to what the dates denote or why these coins were made or for whom they were made, which makes the coin even more mystic.