(1616) 6P Sommer Islands, Small Portholes MS(PCGS#4)

August 2019 ANA U.S. Coins Auction Rosemont, IL

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

5060

等级

VF25

价格

177,874

详细说明

Rare Small Portholes Sommer Islands Sixpence Ex C.H. Stearns Undated (ca. 1616) Sommer Islands Sixpence. BMA Type II, W-11440. Rarity-6+. Small Portholes. VF-25 (NGC). A desirable mid grade example of this classic rarity from the early Colonial era. Although verdigris is prominent on both sides, the surfaces remain well composed. The legs and tail of the hog are readily discernible while the "fur" retains a stippled detail that is seldom encountered on survivors from the Sommer Islands series. Virtually all elements of the ship are intact on the reverse, with the broad horizontal panels of the hull clear and unobstructed. An uncommonly sharp and relatively pleasing survivor of this elusive type, the Small Portholes variety is somewhat scarcer than its Large Portholes counterpart. As Britain's oldest American colony, Bermuda shares nearly 200 years of history in common with the United States before the North American provinces declared independence. The original foundation of the island colony is a direct result of the settlement at Jamestown, which was the earliest English settlement in Virginia and the oldest permanent English settlement in North America. The captain of the original voyage to Jamestown, Christopher Newport, led a third expedition to Virginia in 1609, but two of his nine ships were lost in a major storm and ran aground on Bermuda. The captain of one of those ships, Sir George Somers of the Sea Venture, became the new namesake of the islands. Just 12 distinct examples of this variety were inventoried in the 1997 work Coins of Bermuda, 1616-1996by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA), the present piece included, versus the 19 coins listed for the Large Portholes variety. While additional examples have emerged of each variety in the decades since this listing, the Small Portholes remains the rarer and more desirable of the two. The present example has long been recognized as a significant piece, and is traceable back to 19th century Boston area numismatist Charles H. Stearns. Stearns was a prominent collector of colonial and early American issues who collected under the advisory of such luminaries as Mickley, Parmelee, Crosby and Appleton. Upon his death in 1904, the collection passed down to his son Clinton and then later to his grandson George, upon whose death the collection was sold by Mayflower Coin Auctions in December 1966. The present specimen was offered in lot 2 of the sale and was noted to be "probably among the finest extant." It remains a significant example of this issue over 50 years later and is listed at the top of the BMA inventory for Small Portholes sixpence. Provenance: From the Samuel J. Berngard Collection. Ex Charles Henry Stearns, before 1904; Clinton Stearns; George M. Stearns; Mayflower Coin Auctions' sale of the C.H. Stearns Collection, December 1966, lot 2; Carlyle A. Luer; Heritage's sale of the Carlyle A. Luer Collection, January 2018 FUN Signature Sale, lot 4701. NGC Census: 2; 1 finer (AU-50). PCGS# 4. NGC ID: AUBE. Click here for certification details from NGC.