Silver Hemidrachm. Circa 500-480 BC. 
A homage to the ancient symbol of love and the mysterious plant that inspired it.
Silphium is an unidentified plant that was used in classical antiquity as a seasoning, perfume, aphrodisiac, and medicine. The iconic heart shape as a symbol of love is traditionally thought to come from the extinct silphium plant, a large relative of the fennel plant. 
Silphium was so rare and sought-after that by the 1st century BC, it was over-harvested into extinction. The plant was so popular, its shape was used on Cyrene’s currency, as seen on this coin from the seventh century BC.
Silphium was used for many things, including an ancient form of birth control. It’s through this theory that the plant’s shape eventually evolved into an emblem of love.