1652 Pine Tree Shilling. Small Planchet. Noe-28, Salmon 10-D, W-920. Rarity-6+. VF-20 (NGC).

66.2 grains. The obverse is the better struck and centered of the two sides, with localized weakness along the lower right border, edge encroaching into tops of the letters from 3 to 8 o'clock, others fully rendered, tree and inner beaded border bold. The central reverse is similarly bold, but the periphery is quite soft due to a combination of die clash and an off-center impression that has the lower left running off the flan. With pale lilac highlights to dominant steel-gray surfaces that are free of significant marks. This distinctive variety is an underappreciated rarity, with fewer than 10 examples confirmed. At least two are impounded, including the high grade double struck specimen in the ANS and Joe Lasser's coin at Colonial Williamsburg. The Picker-Hawn-Partrick-Sydney F. Martin coin was rather boldly called "the finest known" in Heritage's Partrick sale, although your cataloger (JLA) feels that laurel that might better be offered to the Roper coin or, in pure technical terms, to the Kendall-Robert M. Martin specimen. The Stearns sale lacked one; apparently the Stearns piece was acquired privately by T. James Clarke in 1937, ended up being Boyd's duplicate, and was sold in NN60. There was a pleasing, if low grade piece in our (Stack's) January 2010 Americana Sale; the Ted L. Craige Collection brought a holed and plugged VF to market through our January 2013 Americana Sale. Norweb's was offered again in Hain. The Ford piece was a very decent VF, sharper in some areas than seen here, but softer elsewhere. Heritage's recent sales of the Salmon Collection have brought a few others to light, including the specimen offered here. The Noe-28 Pine Tree is certainly a challenging variety in terms of both rarity and quality of the extant examples, and the collector would have a difficult time obtaining a markedly nicer one than this.

PCGS# 914822. NGC ID: 2ARZ.

From the Muddy River Collection. Earlier ex Stack's, date not recorded, to the following; Heritage's sale of the Christopher J. Salmon Collection of Massachusetts Silver, Part II; October 2022 Long Beach Signature Auction, lot 3494.