(1616) 2P Sommer Islands MS(PCGS#2)

(1616) 2P Sommer Islands MS (PCGS#2)

The January 2011 Tampa Bay Rarities Sale

Lot Description: Undated (Circa 1616) Sommer Islands Twopence. W-11400. URS-4. BMA Type I, Small Star Below Hog. AG-3 (PCGS). The first coinage issued for the British Colonies in the New World, the Sommer Islands, or Bermuda pieces are also known as Hogge Money or Hoggies. These nicknames are derived from the obverse device on the coinage--a hog that represents the most abundant source of food that the British colonists found when they first set foot on the islands. Denominations are Twopence, Threepence, Sixpence and Shilling, all of which are rare and all of which are usually offered in low grades and impaired due to oxidation.<br />     Our first offering of a Sommer Islands piece in many years, this Twopence exhibits the typical quality of the type. Both sides are heavily worn, and the surfaces are rough with heavy pitting that also makes it difficult to discern the devices. Much of the obverse hog and the reverse ship are evident, however, and the denomination II on the obverse is quite sharp. For the grade and type, a more than presentable example of this historic and elusive issue.