1652 Oak Tree Sixpence Copy. Noe-19, Salmon-unlisted, W-390. EF Details — Damage (PCGS). <p>52.4 grains. In the Ford XIV sale, where the famous John Ford - Mrs. Norweb - John Ford example of this rare fabrication was sold, just four examples were listed as known: Fords, the ANS example that convinced Mrs. Norweb that the one Ford had sold her was a forgery, the one Mrs. Norweb later purchased from Fred Baldwin, and one in a private collection. This is the private collection coin. (A fifth example, ex Joe Lasser, is at Colonial Williamsburg.) The surfaces are glossy dark gray with contrasting lighter devices. Some artificial wear has been applied, including some scrapes and abrasions around the peripheries that account for the grade determination offered by PCGS. The eye appeal is very good, though this looks like a piece struck after the 17th century that has been worked to look a bit older.<p><p><p>When we offered the PCGS AU-50 Kendall example of this rarity, we summarized Eric Newmans thoughts on this production, as offered in his monograph <em>The Secret of the Good Samaritan Shilling</em>, a similar production that seems to share its heritage with the piece presently offered:<p><p><p>In short, the unusual designs for this piece copy nearly precisely an engraving illustrated in the 1746 publication of "The Pembroke Plates," depicting the collection of the Earl of Pembroke. The same publication included the original illustration of the Good Samaritan shilling. Crosby illustrated the engraving again, as did Noe and the <em>Standard Catalogue</em>, but none of them ever saw a specimen. Someone, presumably before Crosby but perhaps not, was enterprising enough to produce dies representing the Pembroke coin. Today, just three are known, including this piece and the ANS specimen. Mrs. Norweb first purchased a specimen from New Netherlands Coin Company as genuine, paying an alarming $550 in 1953. Soon after, while visiting the ANS, she saw a specimen the Society had recently purchased from Baldwins in London as a forgery. She returned her piece to New Netherlands and soon after purchased another example Baldwins had in stock, the piece now selling, properly described as a forgery. The New Netherlands-Norweb-New Netherlands example found a home in the John Ford collection, from which it was offered in our Ford XIV sale as lot 510, bringing $4,600.<p><p><p>The Kendall coin netted $6,462.50 in our March 2015 sale. This is the first offering of this issue since.<p><p>From the E Pluribus Unum Collection.