(1616) Sommer Islands Twopence - Large Star

Coin Details

Auction Record

$96,000 • XF40 PCGS • 09-2019 • Heritage Auctions

Description

Cataloged as Breen 6, W-11410, and BMA Type Two, this Large Star variety of the Sommer Islands twopence is distinguished by a comparatively larger star positioned between the hog's middle legs on the obverse — a subtle but definitive attribution point that separates it from the Small Star variety (BMA Type One). Produced circa 1616 for the English colony on the Sommer Islands (now Bermuda), this twopence is part of the earliest series of coinage produced for use in the Western Hemisphere under English authority, predating the Massachusetts silver coinage of the 1650s by nearly four decades. The obverse displays the distinctive wild hog that gives the entire series its "Hogge Money" nickname — feral pigs descended from animals introduced by Spanish explorers were so abundant on the islands that they became the colony's primary food source and an immediately recognizable symbol. The reverse features a sailing ship, representing the maritime connections that sustained the island settlement. Extremely rare with the finest certified example graded XF40 by PCGS, the Large Star twopence is the slightly more available of the two varieties but remains one of the great rarities of American colonial numismatics. The difference between Large Star and Small Star is subtle enough that attribution on heavily worn specimens can be challenging, requiring careful examination under magnification to determine the star's relative size against the hog's legs. Struck in brass or copper, Sommer Islands coins exhibit the rough surfaces and irregular planchet shapes characteristic of early seventeenth-century colonial coinage production.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. The finest certified example is XF40 (PCGS). BMA Type Two.

Cross References

Breen 6, W-11410, BMA Type Two