1652 Pine Tree Threepence. Noe-35, Salmon 1-Ai, W-635. Rarity-6+. Pellets at Trunk. AU-50 (PCGS).
17.2 grains. A noteworthy example of this highly respected Noe number, and one of the nicest that the collector is ever likely to encounter. Struck on a markedly ovoid planchet, the obverse is misaligned to 12 o'clock with just a trace of peripheral lettering along the upper edge. The inner beaded border is complete, however, SATHVSETS wholly or partially discernible, tree and pellets in center appreciable, if typically soft. The better centered reverse has the tops of most peripheral letters running off the flan, but the legend is fully legible. There is hardly any outer border evident, but the inner border is crisp, as are the date and denomination. Both sides are a bit glossy with some roughness identifiable with magnification, central reverse with several fine pin scratches. Boldly toned overall in steel-olive with iridescent gold undertones. The Noe and Wurtzbach plate coin was described as "an outstanding example of the rarest of the Pine Tree threepences," but the Earle-Garrett-Kendall specimen is clearly finer in terms of both completeness and surface quality. Andrew Pollock's Numismatic Register traced just four auction appearances, including the Kendall coin's earlier offering in our (Bowers and Ruddy's) 1980 Garrett sale, but not including its even earlier Earle provenance. The other specimens traced were the Norweb coin, displayed at the 1991 ANS Exhibition and sold in 1988 and in our (Stack's) June 1958 sale, and an example in a Devonshire Rare Coin Galleries sale in November 1984. He also cited the Noe plate coin (the Boyd-Ford coin, and also the Salmon plate), and the Breen Encyclopedia plate (the Earle-Garrett-Kendall coin again). The Norweb coin reappeared in our (Stack's) Hain sale, where it was noted that the cataloger had seen just nine examples. This variety was not present in Stearns, MHS 1970, Picker, or Partrick in any grade. The offered coin, while not quite the equal of the Kendall specimen, is finer than the Boyd-Ford coin, which later went to Salmon and has several scratches above the date, and also considerably finer than the small number of well circulated examples sold without fanfare in non-marquee auctions over the last decade.
PCGS# 914824. NGC ID: 2ARP.
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From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from Heritage's sale of the Wesley Van Olden Collection of Colonial Coinage, September 2003 Long Beach Signature Sale, lot 5008; Heritage's Boston ANA Signature Auction, August 2010, lot 3748. August 2010 lot tag, clipped lot description and Sydney F. Martin collector envelope with attribution and provenance notes included.

Estimate: $8250