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Sale 91
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Lot 1
(1652) New England Shilling Noe 3-A Rarity-7+ Bowers W-70 URS-4 PCGS graded XF40. Glossy medium silvery gray and steel with slightly lighter golden silver gray toning on the highpoints. The surfaces are a bit uneven thanks to the very crude method of manufacture, but there is no corrosion and only a few trivial contact marks. A faint vertical wave down the left side of the obverse (the NE side) has been used to instantly identify this specific example for over 100 years. As with all the NE Shillings, each punch was applied separately to the planchet, and they were offset so the second stamping did not affect the first. That offset is about 180 degrees on this example. Both punches are strong but a bit unevenly impressed into the planchet leaving the top of the NE and right edge of the XII soft while the rest is clear. The edge of the planchet is slightly beveled on the lower right of the obverse and left of the reverse, as struck, but there is no evidence of post-strike clipping. The die crack or chip at the left top of the X is bold and the die line slanting from the bottom of the E in NE is clear. These two features are obvious, and that makes attributing the die variety a relatively simple task. Only 5 examples are known of this die combination, and this piece is considered by many to be finest of the 3 available to collectors (the other 2 are held in the collections of Yale University and the Massachusetts Historical Society). NE Shillings were the first coins minted in what was called the "English Americas," so their historical importance to the numismatic history of the United States can not be overstated. They were authorized by the Massachusetts General Court in 1652 and were struck in Boston under the supervision of the Mintmaster, John Hull. Only a few dozen of all die combinations have survived, and a large percentage of those are impounded in museum collections. This extremely rare die variety comes with an impressive provenance that can be traced back more than 100 years. Listed on page 37 in the "Redbook" where an EF grade is valued at $300,000, regardless of the die combination. Weight 66.2 grains. The attribution and weight are noted on the PCGS Secure label. PCGS population total for ALL die combinations is 2 with 14 finer: 3 in 45, 4 in 50, 3 in 53, 4 in 55. Estimated Value $175,000-UP
Ex William F. Gable, S. H. Chapman 5/1914:147-C. H. Stearns, Mayflower Coin Auctions 12/1966:3 (via Lester Merkin)-Henry P. Kendall Foundation.
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| Realized $176,250 |
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