THE STRUCK COPIES OF THOMAS WYATT AND OTHERS

The first couple of coins on this list are the famous (or infamous) Wyatt copies of Massachusetts silver colonials. They have been avidly collected since they were made in the 1850's. All of these coins have been slabbed by PCGS. I gotta tell you – they are sweet eye candy when you see these coins in PCGS holders. For a brief second it seems you are looking at the genuine article (though no experts would be fooled by these, of course).

(“1652”) New England Shilling. Wyatt Copy in Silver. PCGS graded EF-40.

Noe-1, Kenney-1, W-14020. Attractive medium gray with light pastel iridescence in varied tones. A rare early struck copy, produced by numismatist Thomas Wyatt about 1856. The engraver based the design on illustrations published in Joseph Felt's 1839 An Historical Account of the Massachusetts Currency. He included the cross-hatching lines found in the Felt illustrations, which themselves copied engraved plates published by Martin Folkes in 1745. This is the only specimen graded by PCGS in any grade so far; it comes with a PCGS CoinFacts image. Listed on the Noe plates as a counterfeit. $1450.

"1652" (1850s) Oak Tree Twopence. Wyatt Copy in Silver. PCGS graded MS-63.

Noe-OB, Kenney-6, W-14030. Really high grade for one of these, essentially as struck and showing good frosty luster over lightly toned golden-gray surfaces. An unusual piece that was never worn in an attempt to pass it as genuine. Ford never obtained an example. This is one of only 2 specimens graded by PCGS in any grade so far and the finer of the two; it comes with a PCGS CoinFacts image. Listed on the Noe plates as a counterfeit. $875

"1652" (1850s) Good Samaritan / Oak Tree Shilling. Wyatt copy in Silver. PCGS graded MS-63.

Kenney-8/3 Mule, W-14092. Struck by Edwin Bishop after his acquisition of Thomas Wyatt's dies. Lustrous even gray, with hints of blue.

This is perhaps the most famous design of all of the collectible 19th Century struck copies and fantasies. The “original” of this design was actually a fabrication made from a genuine pine tree shilling and housed in the British Museum.

Good Samaritan Shillings were listed in the Redbook as genuine for many years. To quote from the 9th Edition of that reference: “The Good Samaritan Shilling, supposed to be a pattern piece, was struck at the Boston mint and is extremely rare. This piece is of the same general type as the Pine Tree Shilling, but has a device illustrating the parable of the Good Samaritan on The obverse. “

Thus, these Wyatt copies are themselves copies of a concoction that never existed in 17th century Massachusetts.

The whole story was brilliantly told by Eric P. Newman in his monograph The Secret of the Good Samaritan Shilling, a book which debunked these coins as the genuine article. As with many things numismatic, their infamy has caused strong collector demand whenever they turn up for sale.

Rarely offered; the Ford specimen brought $3,162.50 about a decade ago. This is the only specimen graded by PCGS in any grade so far; it comes with a PCGS CoinFacts image. The highlight of this important offering of Wyatt copies. $3350.

To read the complete article, see:
Making the Grade #19: The Pre-Memorial Day Issue (www.davewcoins.com/newsletter/archives/05-2015)

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