(1616) Sommer Islands Sixpence - Large Portholes

Coin Details

Auction Record

$129,250 • AU50 NGC • 05-2014 • Heritage Auctions (Newman Collection)

Description

Produced circa 1616 for the Sommer Islands (modern Bermuda), this Large Portholes sixpence is among the earliest coins associated with English colonial presence in the Americas. Cataloged as Breen 3, W-11445, and BMA Type One (R.6, approximately 13-30 known), the Large Portholes designation refers to larger, more prominent portholes along the ship's hull on the reverse. The obverse carries the distinctive hog within SOMMER ILANDS with Roman numeral VI above. The hog references wild pigs descended from animals introduced by Spanish explorers, whose importance to early settler survival made them a natural coinage emblem. Approximately 40 total sixpences are known across both porthole varieties, with Large Portholes the more common. Named after Sir George Somers, whose 1609 shipwreck led to Bermuda's colonization, these pieces were struck in brass or copper and are among the first English colonial coins for the New World. Sommer Islands coins predate the Massachusetts Pine Tree coinage by nearly four decades, making them foundational to colonial American numismatics. The series includes shilling, twopence, and threepence denominations, all featuring the hog obverse.

Rarity Notes

R.6 (13-30 known). Approximately 40 total sixpences known between both varieties, with Large Portholes the more common.

Cross References

Breen 3, W-11445, BMA Type One