(1616) Sommer Islands Threepence

Coin Details

Auction Record

$96,000 • XF Details PCGS • 09-2019 • Heritage Auctions

Description

With only approximately eight examples known — four of which reside in institutional collections, leaving just four in private hands — the Sommer Islands threepence is the rarest denomination in the celebrated Hogge Money series, the earliest English colonial coinage struck for circulation in the Western Hemisphere. Cataloged as Breen 5, W-11420, and BMA Type One, the threepence bears a wild hog on the obverse with the Roman numeral III above and five pellets at the lower left, while the reverse depicts a two-masted ship flanked by the letters "S" and "I" (Sommer Islands). Two die varieties are recognized: the first with small, level figures, and a second variety discovered only in 1999 featuring larger, stepped figures — a remarkably late addition to the die variety catalog of a coinage series produced over four centuries ago. Struck circa 1616 in brass or copper for the tiny Bermuda colony named after Sir George Somers, whose 1609 shipwreck led to permanent English settlement, the threepence served the colony's small-scale commercial needs alongside the sixpence and shilling denominations. The threepence's extreme rarity likely results from its small size making it vulnerable to loss, its low denomination providing little incentive for deliberate preservation, and the harsh tropical environment of Bermuda accelerating deterioration of surviving examples. Each known specimen is individually tracked by researchers, and the 1999 discovery of the second die variety demonstrates that significant numismatic discoveries remain possible even in the most thoroughly studied colonial series.

Rarity Notes

The rarest Sommer Islands denomination. Only approximately 8 examples known, with only 4 in private hands. A second die variety was not recognized until 1999.

Cross References

Breen 5, W-11420, BMA Type One