FINEST KNOWN 1652 NEW ENGLAND SHILLING

The Property of the Hon. Wentworth Beaumont

   

U.S.A., Colonial North America, New England, shilling, undated, struck in Boston in 1652 by John Hull and Robert Sanderson, the silver planchet countermarked ‘NE' on obverse and ‘XII' on reverse, 72.2 gr. (Noe 3-B; Salmon 3-C), the finest known example of the first coin struck in what is now the U.S.A., recently discovered in the UK and now in NGC holder graded MS61, extremely rare and the only New England shilling to have been classed as ‘Mint State' by either grading service £150,000-200,000

Provenance:
Wentworth Family Collection. Probably acquired when new by William Wentworth (1616-97), an early Colonial settler who may well have landed in New England in 1636 with John Wheelwright (the controversial antinomian who was related through marriage to Anne Hutchinson and who, in 1638, founded the town of Exeter in what was to become New Hampshire). William Wentworth followed Wheelwright to Exeter and some of his many descendants - he was twice married and had 11 children - were to achieve great prominence both in the nascent state and elsewhere.

This specimen was recently discovered in the United Kingdom in a tin containing numerous coins and medals, many of which are included in this sale (see lots xxx, xxx….) and it has not previously been recorded. Although the possibility exists that the shilling was collected at a later date by one of William Wentworth's numerous descendants (including one Lieutenant Governor and two Colonial Governors of New Hampshire), the presence in the family collection of certain other pieces - notably the Commonwealth unite of 1650 (lot xxx) - is felt to support the hypothesis that William Wentworth probably obtained it when it was new.

Hull and Sanderson's New England coins, famously the first pieces to be struck in North America, were produced over a period of just a few weeks in 1652 using puncheons which were, essentially, like hallmarking tools. The present specimen was made when the ‘NE' punch had been re-cut for the third and final time, while the ‘XII' is from the second of four separate reverse punches, this one being distinguished by a pronounced flaw caused by a crack in the punch running from the base of the second ‘I' to its edge. It is believed that this example is the tenth-known coin struck from this combination of punches and its Mint State status is superior to that of all known specimens of the type. As it so happens the next-finest piece is also of the Noe 3-B variety and is graded AU58 NGC (ex Robert Coulton Davis (1890), Thomas Hall, Virgil Brand, Carl Wurtzbach, T. James Clark, F.C.C. Boyd, John J. Ford, Jon Hanson and Donald Partrick).

For more information, see:
https://www.mortonandeden.com/

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
MORTON & EDEN OFFER SWEET TIN FIND (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n39a25.html)

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