(1652) Shilling New England MS(PCGS#13)

October 2018 Baltimore U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

7001

等级

AU50

价格

1,420,807

详细说明

Exceptionally Attractive Massachusetts NE Shilling Howes: "A Very Round Example" (1652) Massachusetts NE shilling. Noe 1-A, Salmon 1-B, W-40. Rarity-6. AU-50 (PCGS). 71.45 grains. An exceptionally attractive and wholly original example of this classic American rarity. Antique silver gray surfaces are evenly toned with ancient patina, enlivened near the rims with pale blue tones acquired during its long history as a cherished collectible. The devices, sparse though they are, are attractively rendered. The obverse NE punch is bold and well defined, with an intact cartouche outline above the NE and two crisp letters. The base of the punch blends into the field without crisp delineation, suggesting slight axial misalignment of the handheld punch with the planchet at the moment of striking. The rims offer the handmade character of a homemade pie, nearly round but not precisely so, with a natural scallop above 3:00, a smaller one near 9:00, and a prominence near 10:30. Magnification finds trivial hairline scratches from circulation on the obverse, but no impacts of consequence or other damage of note, left either during this coin's natural life or after. The reverse XII punch is especially crisp and deep, revealing blue toning and abundant luster within its recesses. The top, left, and bottom outlines of the rectangular cartouche are crisp, and the right border is nearly complete. The texture of the surface is mostly smooth, more attractive than most NE shillings of any grade. Circulation has left as light an impact on the reverse as on the obverse, with only a thin hairline near 9:00 worth mentioning. The coin's roundness is even more evident on the reverse, with only minor variation along the circumference. The overall impact of both sides is superb. This is a choice, beautiful, and magnificently preserved specimen of this relic of our nation's earliest attempt at a coinage. It is, in a single word, spectacular. There are 15 known examples of the Noe 1-A NE shilling, making this variety a significant proportion of the 60 or so documented specimens of this type. Only eight of the coins from this die pair are in private hands, however, making this rarity doubly so. The most thorough accounting of NE coins yet composed was published by Jack Howes in the August 2010 issue of The Colonial Newsletter. While the Kendall Noe 1-A had eluded him, Howes searched high and low for little known, institutionally impounded, and rarely published examples. This piece was noted by him to have been sold in the 1975 NERCA sale where the Archangel collector acquired it; the reference to this piece being in a 1982 Kagin's FPL is either a case of borrowed photography or misidentification, as it was already ensconced in this collection by then. It is difficult to quantify how nice a coin is when that coin's surfaces are three-quarters blank. However, if all the NE shillings were lined up, and a draft was held whereby collectors got to pick their favorite in turn, this coin would not last long. It was cataloged in 1975 as "the finest [Richard Picker] had seen," and the catalogers noted that "we can't find any evidence that a comparable one exists." Jack Howes commented on its roundness, perhaps an odd positive qualifier, but this piece is commendably well made in that regard. Its color and lack of damage place it in the top tier of these coins by aesthetic appeal, and some observers may prefer it to the Boyd-Ford-Sundman coin that ended up in an AU-55 (PCGS) encapsulation. The exceptional Newman Noe 1-A was also graded AU-55 (PCGS). Neither of Partrick's were this nice, nor was the Kendall coin. We like this coin as much as any Noe 1-A NE shilling, but then again, we like them all. Nothing will ever outrank a NE shilling on the timeline of oldest coins struck in what became the United States. No other coin will ever serve up the culture and history of the Massachusetts Bay Puritans quite like this austere rarity. Some coins may be prettier, and some are rarer, but there is nothing quite so evocative of the first wave of English settlements in North America as this type. Provenance: From the Archangel Collection. Earlier, from New England Rare Coin Galleries' auction of November 1975, lot 362. Acquired from Richard Picker in the late 1950s. PCGS Population: 6; 8 finer (AU-55 finest). PCGS# 13 Click here for certification details from PCGS.