1652 Pine Tree Shilling. Small Planchet. Noe-15, Salmon 1-A, W-830. Rarity-5. VF-20, saltwater surfaces.76.6 grains. A remarkable find for specialists featuring an incredibly late die state on an overweight planchet. The surfaces show a microporosity beneath a glass but remain well-composed to the naked eye. Largely toned in navy blue shades with scattered brown patina and flashes of underlying silver. The edge above the final S in MASATHVSETS is somewhat ragged, while traces of an incomplete clip outline the left reverse border. The strike is slightly aligned towards 11 oclock on each side, the reverse more dramatically so with the letters of ENGLAND mostly off the edge. The entire lower left reverse is swollen from die failure, obliterating the legend DO and most of the nearby inner circle. Consequently, the lower right obverse is mostly unstruck and smooth, though the central elements are impressively sharp throughout. Salvaged from the <em>H.B.M.S. Feversham</em> and offered in Christies sale of February 1989.From the Robert M. Martin Collection. Ex H.B.M.S. Feversham; Christies sale of February 1989, lot 1042.
