1652 Pine Tree Shilling. Large Planchet. Noe-3, Salmon 3-C, W-710. Rarity-6+. Without Pellets at Trunk. VF Details--Reverse Graffiti, Scratches (NGC).74.1 grains. A desirable example of this rare variety that can be traced back to Hancock County, Maine in the early 1800s. The surfaces exhibit dark charcoal-black coloration with hints of steel blue around the devices. Traces of caked-on patina remain in the protected areas, and the surfaces show areas of microgranularity in a few spots. The central elements are impressively bold on each side, with just some minor softness noted to the obverse legends. The obverse strike is aligned slightly to the south, pushing the tops of IN and MASAT off the flan. The centering is ideal on the reverse where the legends are uniformly tight to the edge. A glass reveals a few ancient pinscratches within the branches of the tree and a deeper scratch outside the lower right branch. Another old scratch is noted below the denomination, as well as the initials HP carved faintly into the field above the date. Similar in fabric to the Kendall specimen from our March 2015 sale, though that one was slightly sharper at EF-40 (PCGS). <p><p><p>The letter accompanying this piece is remarkable not only for its numismatic content but also its ties to several historical figures of early America. It is dated November 25, 1844 and was written by Erastus Foote, Jr., a lawyer in Wiscasset, ME. He recounts his fathers anecdote on how this Pine Tree shilling came to belong in their family, providing a clear chain of custody that covers the previous four decades. His father, Erastus Foote, Sr., was an important figure in early New England politics, who served as Maines first Attorney General from 1820 to 1831. He also served in the State Senates and Houses of Representatives of both Massachusetts and Maine over his long political career. <p>Foote, Sr. relays that he was presented this shilling by Major Thomas Phillips while Phillips was the Sheriff of Hancock County, ME from 1801 through 1803. Not much is known about Phillips, though records show that he resigned from his position as Sheriff shortly before his death in 1804. It would be convenient to suggest that a relative of Phillips is to blame for the old "HP" initials in carved into this shilling, but we are unable to identify any such ancestors with certainty. Several women named Hannah Phillips, and at least one Hepzibah Phillips, are known to have lived in this area in the late-17th and mid-18th centuries, though there is no observable link to this sheriff.<p><p>Our author, Foote, Jr., makes a few interesting assertions regarding the Pine Tree shilling in general, claiming that their production was "an act of sovereignty...in pursuance of a colonial act of the legislature, but in violation of the known laws of England." He suggests that they were probably produced "during the Revolutionary times of the Long Parliaments of Cromwell" which began in 1640. He also curiously informs us that "the Roman characters XII, it is presumed, refer to the year of the Commonwealth." <p>Foote, Jr. closes the letter by mentioning a newspaper article explaining that former President John Quincy Adams presented a similar Pine Tree shilling to the New York Historical Society. This is confirmed in Adams own memoir, where he writes that he "received a letter from William N. Blakeman, M.D. enclosing an old Massachusetts Pine Tree shilling, which he wished through me to present to the New York Historical Society." Adams continues in saying that he "presented the shilling, and gave a brief summary history of the coinage of 1652."<p>This incredible lot represents a true prize for collectors of Colonial coinage or Americana. Most importantly, it frames the Pine Tree shilling as an important historic artifact whose significance transcends purely numismatic circles. The incredible rarity of the Noe-3 variety will certainly be recognized by specialists, though the additional ties to our Nations past should appeal to every American.Ex Major Thomas Phillips, Sheriff of Hancock County, ME, before 1804; Erastus Foote, Sr., the first Attorney General of Maine; Erastus Foote, Jr., before November 1844.
