Lot 2
Massachusetts Oak Tree Sixpence 1652, N-20, Cr. 1a-D. PCGS graded EF-45. Antique silvery gray in color with the familiar "S" shaped bend from the rocker press on which they were struck, on this particular one the crease is through the lower left of the obverse. The planchet is slightly elongated being taller than it is wide. Well struck and with very nice surfaces for the issue. One thin line is noted on the upper right of the tree and this may be remnants of an undertype or possibly a minor split in the planchet.
The source of the silver for these early coins was Spanish coinage, which had enriched Spain for several generations. The Spanish silver was melted down and purified up to acceptable levels for sterling, then rolled into strips for planchets. These 1652 coins represent some of the most important and collectible of the entire spectrum of colonial coinage.
Estimated Value $3,000 - 4,000.
From the Paul Arthur Norris Collection.
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| Realized $4,025 |
