1652 Shilling Oak Tree, "In" at Left MS(PCGS#45361)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Commissaire-priseur

Stack's Bowers

Numéro du lot

1236

Grade

AU58+

Prix

15 600

Description du lot

72.7 grains. Outstanding quality for one of these, described by Mike Hodder in his cataloging for our (Stack's) Ford XII Sale as nicer than the three Hain coins, Oechsner's, Garrett's, Norweb's EDS, Picker's, and a rival to Weinberg's lovely Noe-1 (no. 26 in the 1991 ANS exhibition catalog). Both the obverse and reverse are an attractive rich coin silver gray with some traces of pale iridescent blue and very delicate rose visible in places. Full tree, branch on left slightly soft but this is entirely as made. Most letters in the obverse and reverse legends are sharp save for those on the extreme left on the obverse, top and lower right on the reverse. Obverse slightly off center to the lower right but with all the letters in the legends still fully on the flan. Reverse just about perfectly centered, as expected. Light horizontal striations visible at the lower left on the obverse obscuring the letter S in the legend, others visible at the top of the reverse (opposite portion of the flan from the former), the letters NE in NEW are striated but still fully legible. Reverse die broken through the letters ND in NEWENGLAND. Annotated on Wurtzbach's collector's ticket (which is included in this offering) as, ''Unusual in having inscription all on both sides.''<p>The Noe-1 Oak Tree shilling is a popular choice as a type coin: relatively common, even in high grades; typically complete in design and bold in strike; showcasing one of the more classically oaken design motifs; and coined from dies that created an attractive and easily understood product. It is also the only Oak Tree shilling with NEWENGLAND starting at the top of the coin. Interestingly, while the reverse die was engraved slightly oval in shape so the coins it struck would look round, the obverse die was not. In consequence, most Noe-1 shillings are a bit off center on the obverse, a feature seen only minimally here, as described above, with the obverse slightly off center to lower right; there is no outer border beading from 3 to 7 o'clock but, again, all peripheral letters are fully on the flan. While it is not unusual for a top caliber cabinet to include a high grade Noe-1 Oak, precious few are as technically strong and visually superior as this one. An impressive provenance will further help this coin soar to a strong prices realized.