1652 pine tree shilling

Wow I bet nobody knew that. Amazing

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

The replica makers seem to like Noe-1, I think every cast replica I have seen tries to imitate it.

 

All of the dated Massachusetts silver pieces are dated 1652, except for the Oak Tree two pence which is dated 1662. I believe that was the year the Massachusetts General Court authorized that piece. For a Massachusetts silver coin, this piece is fairly common.

The same set of dies was used for a number of years. They were constantly repaired.

 

My poor lil willow tree.. She's in rough shape but was I ever excited when it was given to me (one of my Pepe's coins)

 

If it’s genuine, there is no such thing as a “poor Willow Tree coin.” The coin was struck with dies that moved during the process. All of them, including the best, have poorly defined features. Willow Tree shilling are rarer than the NE shillings.

 

I don't know what the red book says but my recollection is that they kept minting them with the 1652 date because King Whassisname cracked down on the colonies minting their own coins. They could pretend that coins actually minted later were just leftovers from 1652. @johnmilton can straighten me out on that.

 

I've read something to that effect myself (about the date) wouldn't surprise me if it was one of Johns posts

 

Has to be a reproduction as I’ve never seen a Pine Tree Shilling in that nice of a shape in any LCS or anywhere else.

 

King “what’s his name” was Charles II. His father had been executed by people who were sympathetic to the Massachusetts colonists. Charles was well aware that Massachusetts was minting coins, but he was not about to rock the boat without good reason.

There is a story about a fellow named Thomas Temple who told the king a story about the oak tree coinage. He reminded the king that he had hidden in an oak tree when the English rebels were hunting him down. The king had a laugh and ignored the illegal coinage. The Pine Tree coinage continued until John Hull, the mint master, died circa 1682.

 

Wow great read.!

 

The small planchet Pint Tree Shillings marked the end of the series. These pieces were generally well made, and are the easiest pieces of Massachusetts silver to acquire.

This is a Noe 16 which is probably the most common variety.

 

I should also post this piece, the Commonwealth shilling. This piece was issued when Massachusetts started their coinage when English Puritans controlled the government. If you can't afford an NE shilling, this is a close as you are going to get to it.

This coin usually comes in low grade. This one is well above average.



This one is a bit more typical, but still better than average.

 

Thanks to everyone for your opinions on this coin. Upon further examination of this piece I did discover the word copy on the coin edge. I really enjoyed reading the various responses and know a whole lot more about this series than I ever did. That's what I really enjoy about this hobby, it's a never-ending learning experience.

 

It's funny that they would bother putting "copy" on the edge. It still wouldn't comply with the hobby protection act.

 

Thanks for the update, definitive answer for sure! One further point when you mention the edge, a genuine large planchet coin is thin, just about paper thin. The replicas are always thicker.