Catalog
1 Shilling 'Pine Tree' Large Planchet 27-31 mm
| Issuer | Massachusetts Bay Colony |
|---|---|
| Year | 1652 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays the date 1652 prominently in the central field, with the Roman numeral XII (denoting twelve pence, or one shilling) below, all within an inner beaded circle. The peripheral legend NEW ENGLAND AN DOM encircles the design, referencing Anno Domini and the colonial jurisdiction. The lettering is bold and irregular, consistent with hand-engraved dies of the period, and the planchet edges are uneven due to the hammered production method. Three pellets appear at the base of the legend on some die varieties. The overall composition is characteristic of the Massachusetts silver coinage series produced at the Hull-Sanderson mint in Boston. |
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| Additional information |
Massachusetts Bay Colony struck all its silver coinage — shillings, sixpences, threepences — with the single date 1652, regardless of actual minting year, because that was when the General Court first authorized a colonial mint. The date was frozen deliberately, possibly to obscure the ongoing production from English authorities who considered colonial coinage an infringement on Crown prerogative. The Pine Tree series itself replaced the earlier Willow and Oak Tree issues, with production continuing until around 1682.
The large planchet variety is distinguished from its small planchet successor by the broader flan, which allowed the dies to express more of the design — though centering was rarely controlled with any precision at the Hull-Sanderson mint on Hull Street in Boston.