Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
You don't often get a good chance to look at many heart-shape cobs. They are rare, but the recent Sedwick Coins auction provided the opportunity for us to get a look at several of them.
I was glad to receive Laura Strolia's email on that topic. Here is what she said.
Your stories, questions, and publicity on the Sacred Heart coins have made an absolute compelling topic!
On these heart-shaped cobs, the idea was to put the hole above the cross. People wanted to wear the cross
in a vertical manner to be the main symbol on the heart. One did not want to show it off as a piece of currency.
In my opinion the coin with two holes could be a mistake.
Someone must have been rushing, picked the wrong bar of the cross for a hole, and then corrected the error with a second hole.
I am investigating more into this mystery of this heart coin through archives, especially those of missionaries.
There's great knowledge to be learned concerning these objects because there are some discrepancies with their
usage, origin, and development (previously recorded).
The answers will only be in archival material to substantiate theories.
If you've been reading this blog over the past few years, you know that Laura is the author of the book, The Marigalera of the 1715 Fleet, and has contributed a lot of information about 1715 Fleet artifacts, such as the Pelican of Piety.
In a second email, Laura added the following information.
...According to some scholars, the heart cobs began in production at a time way before St. Mary of Alacoque renewed the Sacred Heart devotion...
I'm eager to see what her research eventually reveals about the heart-shaped cobs.
If you look at the heart-shaped cobs shown in the auction catalog, most are "holed" above the vertical bar of the cross, which often puts the hole in what appears to be the flame extending at the top of the cob.
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When you are metal detecting, you are probably not looking for a Native American artifact, yet you might find one if you have a sharp eye and are able to identify those kinds of artifacts. Arrow heads and other artifacts occasionally appear on Treasure Coast beaches, especially in good shell piles. I've shown some of those in the past.
I ran across a Master's Thesis that provides a lot of pictures of Native American shell artifacts. You might want to check it out. It could help you recognize one on the beach some time.
Here is the link.
http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2025&context=etd
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The most read blog post of October was the 10/19/15 Report - Early Edition and Follow Up. Treasure Coast Treasure Beach Detecting Conditions Rating Increased To A Level 2. Beach Survey.
The most Google Plused post was the 10/27/5 Report - New Poll. Dynamics of Pebble Covered Beaches. Detecting The Past. Why Today Is The Day.
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Not much new to say about beach detecting conditions.
I'll have my analysis of the poll results for you in a day or two.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
