1652 Massachusetts Pine Tree shilling. Noe-1, Salmon 1-A, W-690. Rarity-2. Large Planchet. MS-62 (PCGS).71 grains. The ultimate numismatic icon of early America, there is perhaps no more widely desired colonial coin than a nice Noe-1. Choice, frosty, and lustrous, the surfaces are glossy and beautifully toned in even gold-hued gray. Both sides are well centered, with complete legends, though only hints of the external beaded border are visible here and there. A thin striation is visible at the first S of MASATHVSETS, but the obverse shows no post-striking defects of even trivial consequence. A thin scratch connects the decorative circle of beads and M of DOM at the base of the reverse, so close to the edge as to be nearly invisible, and a very shallow abrasion blends into the field right of the denomination. The die state is advanced, with a significant clash from the denomination beneath the tree and heavy horizontal breaks at the central reverse. A thin crack connects the tops of the denomination letters to the bead at left, and the heavy breaks at N of AN DOM stretch into the date and distend the field above it. The fields of both sides are textured and fatigued.<p><p>However "classic" is defined, the Noe-1 Pine Tree is American numismatics hallmark example of the phenomenon. A collector in 1840 would have been just as excited to own this coin as one today, and this would be just as appreciated in a museum as at a coin club meeting. While Mint State Noe-1 Pine Tree shillings are not common by any means - far from it, in fact - this coins prime desirability does not rest upon its rarity. Instead, it is the essential distillation of everything desirable about an early American coin: an antique appearance, a great backstory, a recognizable design, all deliverable to anyone who aspires to collect such things. While nearly any collector can own a Pine Tree shilling, few ever obtain one of this sort of quality. This example has been in the same hands since before many of the modern generation of numismatists were born.PCGS Population (Pine Tree shilling, Large Planchet, Pellets variety only): 2; 6 finer (MS-63+ finest).From the Archangel Collection. Earlier, from Stacks sale of the Henry Gibson Collection, November 1974, lot 3; Stacks sale of the C. Ramsey Bartlett Collection, February 1966, lot 2.
