(1616) Sommer Islands Twopence - Small Star

Coin Details

Auction Record

$51,750 • F15 PCGS • 03-2012 • Stack's Bowers

Description

Recognized as the earliest coinage produced for an English colony in the Americas, the Sommer Islands twopence dates to approximately 1616 and was struck for use in Bermuda, then known as the Somers Islands after Sir George Somers, whose shipwreck there in 1609 led to English settlement. The Small Star variety is distinguished by a noticeably smaller star positioned between the hog's legs on the obverse — the hog being the dominant design element that gives this series its popular nickname "Hogge Money." Classified as BMA Type One and cataloged as Breen 7, W-11400, and PCGS #45354, the Small Star variety is considered slightly rarer than its Large Star counterpart, though both share the same general design elements and reverse die type featuring a full-rigged sailing vessel. With a rarity rating of R.7 and fewer than a dozen examples believed to survive in all conditions, this issue ranks among the most coveted pieces in all of colonial American numismatics. The denomination of twopence placed it at the lowest value in the four-denomination Sommer Islands series (twopence, threepence, sixpence, and shilling), all struck in copper or brass and lightly silvered for circulation in the island colony. Surviving examples almost universally show significant wear and environmental damage from the maritime climate, making any specimen with identifiable design details a notable survival after more than four centuries.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. R.7. Fewer than a dozen examples survive. BMA Type One.

Cross References

Breen 7, W-11400, BMA Type One