1652 Pine Tree Shilling. Small Planchet. Noe-20, Salmon 6-B, W-860. Rarity-6. Fine-15 (PCGS).

66.0 grains. Struck on a slightly out of round planchet, somewhat ovoid in shape, with a shallow straight clip centered on 5:30 relative to the obverse. That side of the coin is soft at lower border due to die state (see below), upper right border through the peripheral letters, but MASAT I is full, inner border complete, tree bold for the grade. The reverse impression is drawn to 9 o'clock, but the peripheral legend is full, if soft all around. The same softness extends into the center, but the inner border is complete, date and denomination fully legible. We note a touch of glossiness to the golden-gray surfaces, the reverse lightly pitted with a few faint scratches at center, obverse trivially flawed through the center of the tree trunk. Although this obverse die survives to fight another day as Noe-27, it had already advanced to a late state when this Noe-20 was struck. The serpentine crack from the left tree ground through the first letter S in MASATHVSETS is readily evident, as are a small break among the upper right tree branches, a vertical break at 12 o'clock, and another serpentine crack from the right border outside the letters TS in MASATHVSETS. Interestingly, the base of the obverse where the Boyd-Ford-Kendall Noe-20 shows an odd burr or anomaly is also sunken here, but a cud is clearly evident to the left of N; the odd element on the Boyd-Ford-Kendall coin must be related to this cud break, though we are at a loss to explain how. The reverse also shows cracks at the letters D AN at lower right.

PCGS# 24. NGC ID: 2ARZ.

From the Muddy River Collection. Purchased from New England Rarities, date not recorded.