1652 (1850s) Good Samaritan Shilling. Wyatt Copy. Noe-GS, Kenney-8, W-14082. Silver. VF-30 (PCGS).Rotated about 10 degrees counterclockwise from coin alignment. Dominant dove gray patina on the obverse, a few speckles of the same color adorn an otherwise pewter gray reverse. Well centered in strike with all major design elements bold, smooth surfaces further enhance the appeal of this premium mid grade example. The die break on the obverse from the rim through the second A of MASATHVSETS through the stop at 6 oclock to the rim, seen on some examples, is not evident here. This is the most famous of all struck copies, itself a copy of a concoction that never existed in 17th century Massachusetts. Its story was elegantly unfolded by Eric P. Newman in his monograph <em>The Secret of the Good Samaritan Shilling</em>, mandatory reading for any enthusiast of colonial coins and related issues. Like the other issues created by Thomas Wyatt, his inspiration and source appears to have been Joseph Felts <em>Historical Account of Massachusetts Currency</em>, knowing nothing about the mother of all Good Samaritan pieces in the British Museum or the Bushnell concoction (later sold in our Ford XIV sale for $46,000). It is known that Edwin Bishop acquired Wyatts dies and produced some number of pieces from them after 1856; it is tempting to attribute this early die state example as a Wyatt striking, but there simply isnt enough data to do so. This is a cornerstone type in any collection of struck copies.From McCawley & Grellmans John M. Griffee Sale, October 1995, lot 629. Lot tag included.
