1652 Shilling Pine Tree, No Pellets MS(PCGS#45370)

1652 Shilling Pine Tree, No Pellets MS (PCGS#45370)

The January 2013 Americana Sale

Losbeschreibung: 1652 Massachusetts Bay Colony Pine Tree Shilling. Large Planchet. Noe-10, Salmon 8-Diii, W-750. Rarity-3. Without Pellets at Trunk. EF-4... 76.38 grains. An unusually heavy Pine Tree shilling, and a superb example of this distinctive variety. At 76.38 grains, this piece is essentially 10% overweight, surpassing even the enormous Eliasberg Noe-1 (75.3 grains) and standing among the heaviest Pine Tree shillings your cataloger has ever encountered. The surfaces are beautiful and glossy deep gray, with just a few specks of harmless encrustation at the obverse periphery at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. The legends are bold, well-struck, and complete on both sides, and nearly all of the beaded borders have made their way onto the planchet. The tree is also superbly defined. Only a few very minor marks noted under magnified, evidence of two distinct clashes seen at right side of reverse. Just two varieties fit the Hollow Tree obverse with backwards first N in ENGLAND major type, namely Noe-9 and Noe-10. The dies are the same, but Noe-10 shows the re-engraved tree as seen here. Mr. Craige, in a rare mistake, misattributed this as Noe-9. While Ford's collection contained four beautiful Noe-10s, none of them showcased the design so completely as this larger-than-normal piece. An outstanding type coin.