1652 Oak Tree Shilling. Clipped Down to a Sixpence. Noe-2, Salmon 1-B, W-440. Rarity-7. ANDO. Good Details--Excessively Clipped (PCGS).38.02 grains. With a modern weight of just about half the statutory weight of a shilling (72 grains), it is clear that the clipping of this piece was a deliberate exercise meant to reduce it to a value of sixpence. The shape of the planchet remains relatively uniform in spite of these adjustments, with just a few rounded edges apparent. The inherent waviness imparted by the minting process has caused an uneven pattern of wear, with the upper and lower obverse bold but the center indistinct. This pattern is reversed on the opposite side, where the denomination is sharp at center but the edges are soft. A void in the planchet separates the 1 and the 6 of the date, but the surfaces are otherwise without noteworthy imperfections. Attractively toned in lavender-grey and peach hues. A very rare variety, easy to discern from the similar Noe-1 by virtue of its medal-turn alignment rather than the typical coin-turn alignment of the Noe-1. Another major distinction between the two varieties is the punctuation before NEW on the reverse, though this feature is lost to circulation on the present specimen. The rarity of this variety was recognized early on and was expressed well in the cataloguing of the 1966 Stearns sale: "N-2 is the only Oak Tree with a rosette. It is almost impossible to obtain." The Boyd-Ford collection included just one specimen; the 1970 Appleton-MHS sale, Garrett, Picker, and Oechsner had none. Though meaningfully trimmed down, the present example remains a significant find for specialist in the Massachusetts silver series and is being brought to market now for the first time in over five decades.From the Cohasco Collection of Colonials formed by Sir Philip H. Snyder, circa 1963-68.
