A rare New England sixpence has top performed at the Whitman Baltimore Winter Expo week of auctions.
The 1652 coin, which was discovered in a New York State potato field in 1990, held the title of most valuable ever to be found on American soil until it was superseded by a Maryland Denarium, which sold for $41,400 in 2007. This landmark auction has restored its title.
Having been sold at Sotheby's shortly after its discovery in 1991 for a then record breaking $35,200, the New England sixpence was estimated to bring $100,000 at auction this time around.
It in fact sold for more than four times its estimate at the November 16 auction, for the princely sum of $431,250 - a 12.7% pa return.
 The coin has reclaimed its title: the most valuable coin ever discovered on US soil |
Having fared well underground, it emerged in fairly good condition. The shape of the planchet is nearly round, similar to other New England coinages hand cut to size and weight at the time, and, having been struck in Boston, it bears the letters "NE".
The coin's value is naturally related to its rarity - in this case, the consequence of a design flaw. The coin's initial design was so simple that the risk of forgery led to changes being made before substantial numbers were struck.
There are now only eight known examples of this coin in existence, four of which are stored in museums (the British Museum and the American Numismatic Museum among them).
The Whitman Baltimore Winter Expo also featured the $170,000 sale of a 1918/1917-D buffalo nickel.
View our rare coins for sale here.
