(1616) 3P Sommer Islands N1 认证号34446944, PCGS号3

Ron Guth

Of the three denominations in the Sommer Islands coins, the Threepence is the rarest.  In reality, such a comparison, at least in this case, is relatively unimportant because all of the Sommer Islands coins are rare.  Collectors have had very few opportunities to purchase a Sommer Islands Threepence, as only two have appeared at auction since 1987.  The pent-up demand for these coins became evident in 2014, when the NGC VF20 from the Eric Newman collection sold for $205,625.  The Norweb coin, which is slightly nicer and has a more detailed obverse, sold for $70,400 in 1987 and would bring multiples of that today.  All examples have problems of one sort or another, usually related to surface corrosion, and the finest example is an Extremely Fine in the British Museum.  Not a single one of the seven known examples is on the market as of this writing (July 2014).