Bermuda, Sommer Islands Company, 'Hogge Money' token or coin, c17th-18th century, potentially a near-contemporary tribute piece, boar facing left atop vegetation, no mark of value above, toothed border, rev. ship sailing left, four gunports, toothed border, 1.41g/21.76gr. Crude as is typical for this issue with green patina and minor surface corrosion, otherwise sharply struck with bold detail to the designs, about very fine, a potentially unique piece and unmatched offering within the Bermudian numismatic series, accompanied by NGC 'No Decision' insert.

NGC Certification 5880765-001.

Discovered by a metal detectorist in Kent, June 2019.

PAS record ID 960656 – accessible at https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/960656

'Unique Bermuda Hogge Money "Penny" Discovered in Kent' - this coin, Coin News, March 2021

'Question marks over rare Bermuda coin up for auction in the UK' – this coin, The Royal Gazette, Bermuda, 15th March 2021

The first coinage of Bermuda - originally called the 'Sommer Islands' for early Bermudan settler Sir George Somers - was struck in England under a Royal patent of King James I dated June 29, 1615. This early colonial issue is frequently referred to as 'Hogge money' due to its bearing the depiction of a feral pig on the obverse; these animals had been released in Bermuda due to a 16th century Spanish shipwreck and were there to greet the first English settlers of the Virginia Company on their arrival in 1609. The Hogge series was modelled on contemporary British coins but with weights unrelated to values - as it was a token coinage - and consists of only a handful of denominations, namely a Twopence, Threepence, Sixpence and Shilling, omitting a Penny and Fourpence. Each of these coins has their appropriate mark of value above the Hogge. Despite consisting entirely of small crudely made tokens with no intrinsic precious metal content (not to mention that most examples only survive in low grade with green patina and corroded surfaces), the Hogge money series is nonetheless seen today as one of the most iconic and valuable coinages produced for the New World. 

The current offering is something of an enigma. It was found in Kent at a site that had already produced several 17th century rose Farthings as well as mid-17th century trader's tokens, but immediately stood out from these more commonplace finds for its depiction of a pig on the obverse and a ship on the reverse, the same iconic designs that feature on every authentic coin of the Hogge money series. The original Hogge issue was produced in the UK for export to Bermuda, and thus the discovery of a specimen in Kent was not so unbelievable; other pieces have previously been discovered on the mainland UK as well as the Isle of Wight. What was noteworthy about this specimen, however, was the lack of a mark of value above the Hogge and the unique dies used in its production. Indeed, although this coin shares several similarities with the Hogge coinage it appears to be something different altogether. 

Metallurgy of this specimen conducted by NGC has shown a lack of any modern impurities such as silicon or cobalt present within the copper alloy, suggesting a date prior to the 18th or 19th century. It is notable that the first example of the Hogge Twopence - to which this coin shares most similarities - was only discovered in 1877, meaning that, when produced, no coin comparable to the present offering would have been known of. Most genuine Hogge coins were likely produced from leftover sheet copper from the Harington Token House, and the business records of Lord Harington, namesake of the tokens, prove that more than 50 per cent of his sheet copper came from mines in Cornwall. The metallurgy report for the present piece shows that it consists of copper containing 0.033% bismuth amongst other elements, perfectly aligned with known levels for Swedish copper; meanwhile, British copper ores contain higher levels of bismuth, typically ranging between 0.12 and 0.25%. Thus, the sample does not appear to have been struck on British copper. However, records exist that show that Harington purchased some of his copper from a man named Olaf located "overseas" which can reasonably assumed to be Sweden, meaning that this piece could theoretically have been struck from this foreign metal and would thus explain its different metallic composition.

Even so, this coin still differs in some ways from the known attributes of traditional Hogge Money specimens. Stylistically, it is of finer engraving than most typical Hogge coins, with the ship's gunports more three-dimensionally rendered as opposed to being represented by annulets. Hogge money was produced exclusively by a hand-hammering method, whilst this piece shows evidence of having been struck in a mill. Additionally, an article in the British Numismatic Journal of 1985 describes the metallurgy of several 17th-century British base metal coins and tokens and gives different metallurgic results to that of the present specimen.  Both the present example and those of the BNJ article consist of around 98.2 per cent pure copper, but the 1985 samples had trace amounts of silver and no detectable bismuth. Records show the copper for the Harington farthings - and thus, the Hogge tokens - may have originated from varying sources, and so this metallurgic comparison may ultimately be irrelevant. Nonetheless, it has led some specialists to assume that the present offering is some form of tribute piece produced comparatively shortly after the original Hogge issue. 

There is always difficulty in proving the origin or authenticity of a piece without any comparable examples. After examination and XRF analysis from NGC, this coin returned with a 'No Decision' insert, as at present there is no data available to properly attribute this specimen. The metallurgy shows that this coin predates all known forgeries and restrikes of Hogge issues; stylistically it is similar except of slightly finer and more elaborate design. Numerous theories have been floated as to the origin of this piece; some have said it could represent a new Twopence die pairing, or it could be a contemporary pattern for the Hogge coinage, a later tribute piece or indeed the first example of the missing Hogge 'Penny' denomination. Whatever its precise origin, this piece undoubtedly represents a potentially unique offering within the Bermudan numismatic series and its numismatic intrigue will surely appeal to Bermuda and colonial collectors alike. 

(£5,000-8,000)