1652 Pine Tree Shilling. Small Planchet. Noe-29, Salmon 11-F, W-930. Rarity-3. AU-55 (PCGS). CAC.70.83 grains. An exceptional specimen, and definitely one of the two nicest that we have ever handled for this die pairing (the other is the Eliasberg-Hain coin). Both sides of this piece are toned in rich steel-gray with light gold and delicate iridescent blue highlights. The obverse is a little off center to the top, leaving some letters in the legend partially off the flan, but the tree is full and the inner beaded border is complete. There are some portions of the root structure that can still be seen. On the reverse the denomination and date are complete, the inner beaded border is whole and the peripheral legend around is a little tight on the flan with some letters at the top running off the edge. A beautiful example overall, the finest of three (!) in the extensive Ford holdings, and destined for inclusion in another advanced Massachusetts silver cabinet.PCGS# 24. NGC ID: 2ARZ.Ex F.C.C. Boyd Collection; John J. Ford, Jr.; our (Stacks) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XII, October 2005, lot 129; Jon Hanson; Donald Groves Partrick; Heritages sale of the Donald Groves Partrick Collection, January 2015 FUN Signature Auction, lot 5602.
