Undated (ca.1616) Sommer Islands Sixpence. BMA Type I, W-11445. Rarity-6. Large Portholes . Fine-12 (PCGS).A significant and pleasing example of this rare Bermuda issue. Verdigris is persistent throughout most of the recessed areas, though the major design elements are clearly discernible and defined by golden tan surfaces. The denomination is boldly pronounced above the hogge on the obverse, and all four portholes can be distinguished on the ship. A hemispherical chip at 7 oclock on the obverse has discarded the I of ILANDS, though the rest of the border remains intact.<p>It was Jamestowns John Smith who became the first to describe the Hogge coins of Bermuda in 1624, noting that his compatriots in Bermuda had "a certain kind of brass money, with a hogge on one side, in memory of the abundance of hogges was found at their first landing."<p><p>The present example of this Hogge money is traceable back over 114 years to the legendary sale of the John G. Mills Collection conducted by the Chapman brothers in April 1904. It was won by George H. Earle, Jr., in whose similarly revered cabinet it would reside until its sale by Henry Chapman in June 1912. This sixpence later surfaced in Doyle Galleries sale of the Loye Lauder Collection in December 1983. Loye Lauder was an heir to the Estee Lauder cosmetics fortune and assembled a type set of US coins that included several Sommer Islands pieces. The 1983 sale of the collection featured examples of every denomination from shilling through twopence, including two sixpence of the Large Portholes variety.<p>Just 19 distinct specimens of the Large Portholes sixpence were accounted for in the 1997 BMA census. The present piece was among the few specimens omitted from this census, and an additional few pieces have emerged onto the market in the two decades since. Just about a dozen pieces are thought to be held privately by collectors, while the rest are owned by the government of Bermuda, the Bermuda Monetary Authority, or museums throughout the world. Serious specialists of New World colonial issues will be sure to take advantage of this important and infrequent opportunity.PCGS Population: 2; 3 finer.Ex Samuel H. and Henry Chapmans sale of the John G. Mills Collection, April 1904, lot 2; Henry Chapmans sale of the George H. Earle, Jr. Esq. Collection, June 1912, lot 1915; Doyle Galleries sale of the Loye Lauder Collection, December 1983, lot 110; Scotsmans sale of October 2013, lot 275.
