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The coin pictured above is a Maryland (2nd Lord Baltimore) sixpence of the small bust variety Hodder 2-C, graded AU 50 by NGC. It is undated, but was probably struck at the Tower of London Royal Mint circa 1659. The Maryland pieces were the first coins struck in England specifically for any American colony.
The obverse features a left facing profile of Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Lord Baltimore, with peripheral Latin wording translating to Cecil, Lord of Mary's Land. The reverse displays the Calvert family coat of arms, with the denomination in Roman numerals on either side of the shield. The wording along the reverse periphery reads "Crescite and Multiplicamini, meaning grow and multiply.
Cecil Calvert sought to create and promote his coinage during tumultuous times both in England and the Maryland colony. In 1632, King Charles I, long before he was beheaded for treason in 1649, granted the 2nd Lord Baltimore a charter establishing the Maryland colony, named for the King's French wife. In exchange for the charter rights, Calvert pledged to turn over to the King 1/5 of all silver and gold found in the colony, plus an annual tribute of 2 Indian arrows. Cecil's charter also conferred "palatine rights", which were the same broad rights enjoyed by the Bishop of Durham, and select feudal lords. Such rights included the right to levy taxes, appoint a governor and council, fix prices, control commerce, hold court, incorporate cities, grant titles, and very importantly, the power to mint coins.
Calvert elected to produce coins during the Commonwealth (inter regnum) period when there was no king sitting on the throne of England. Calvert ran afoul of the then governing bureaucracy, that promptly issued a warrant for his arrest, and simultaneously confiscated his coins and the means to make them. Although he had the legal authority, i.e. palatine rights to mint silver coins, he was additionally charged with producing coins 25% underweight relative to royal standards. Calvert also transgressed by attempting to export specie (silver) out of the country. After a brief time, Calvert was able to deftly extricate himself from these legal difficulties.
Calvert had many problems maintaining control over his colony. He and King Charles I were both Roman Catholic, however Puritans and other Protestants wielded considerable power, and were eventually able to temporarily wrest control from him. Later additional rebellions were summarily quashed, and Calvert was able to install his brother Philip as Governor of the colony. All this instability resulted in a delay of at least 2-3 years in securing the required approval of the colony's Assembly to implement coin circulation. Charles II ascension to the throne in 1660 added an additional dimension to the process.
Calvert's motivations for coining silver Maryland fourpence (groats), sixpence, and shillings (together with about 8 patent copper one penny denarium coins) were not purely altruistic. He was less interested in facilitating commerce in his colony, than in seeking personal profits. He had worked out a scheme by which all taxable individuals in the colony were obligated to relinquish a pre-determined amount of tobacco in exchange for a designated amount of his underweight coins. (The coins were purposely made underweight to discourage their migration out of the colony.) Ultimately, Calvert contemplated selling this tobacco at the higher market rates, and pocketing the difference. The scheme backfired when, during depressed times, the price of tobacco plummeted, resulting in a losing venture for Calvert.