ROSA AMERICANA COLONIAL COINS PRICE LIST #26

 

2. 1652 Pine Tree Shilling. Noe-13, Salmon 13-X, W-780. High Rarity-6. 41.6 grains. Very Good or better for the variety which is a CONTEMPORARY COUNTERFEIT that was purposely weakly struck, and usually found on heavily-clipped, lightweight planchets. Only faint traces of the peripheral legends can be seen on this example, as the piece has been heavily clipped down to pretty much a perfect octagon shape – a Pine Tree shilling stop sign! The last three digits of the date are faint but visible, as are the II of the XII denomination; the obverse tree is mostly sharp at the center obverse, the distinct triangular leaves making the variety easy to attribute, even in lower grades – which is a good thing since that is pretty much how the variety comes. Nice light silver color, a few light marks from circulation as expected on a well-used coin, but nothing major.

A charming example of a rare variety, especially given its unique shape. The die work and lettering are not so far off from the real Massachusetts silver issues to have caused much notice when these were made. It is interesting that all known specimens are on small, clipped planchets of roughly 40 grains – this means that the counterfeiters were not trying to make the coins look like the Small Planchet type shillings, but to actually make them look like well-used and heavily clipped Large Planchet types. While the silver content of Noe.13 varieties have not been tested it is likely that they are at least close to that found on Massachusetts Silver coins (which were themselves mostly made from melted down Spanish silver).

The profit made by the counterfeiter likely came from these being circulated at the full shilling value, even though they were clearly 40% or so underweight – a 1692 Act stated that the coyn of the late Massachusetts Colony shall pass currant at the rate it was stampt for" (the full text can be found in Crosby, page 99), which suggests that even heavily-clipped coins were passing at their full face value at this time. One of the more interesting varieties in the Massachusetts Silver series, undoubtedly a contemporary counterfeit made at a time that the large planchet types in circulation would have been well-worn and clipped, but still circulating alongside small planchet types, with the 1680-1690 period thus most likely. This time period would make it one of the very first struck counterfeits to be made in America (just one variety of NE sixpence likely predates this as a counterfeit), and it is certainly a very deceptively made one.

Seldom offered for sale, this example is just…
$1,750

 

6. 1723 Hibernia Farthing, Struck in Silver. Martin 3.10-Bc.2, W-12500. UNLISTED IN THIS METAL, UNIQUE AS SUCH, Rarity-9. NGC graded Good 6, though much nicer than that, and a solid Fine in terms of wear received. An amazing piece, hidden in the collection of Don Partrick, and unknown to Syd Martin when he wrote his book on the Wood's Hibernia series. This was Lot 15227 in the Heritage Auctions March, 2021 auction of the Partrick collection where it was plated and described as:

1723 Hibernia Farthing, Silver, 67.4 grains, W-12500, "M. 3.10-Bc.2," Good 6 NGC. Only a few Hibernia farthings were struck in silver. The Martin reference does not include this example, which has the same reverse as M. 3.1-Bc.2, but features a different obverse. Apparently, Martin was not aware of the coin in Donald G. Partrick's holdings. The die combination is probably unique in silver. This coin shows attractive old-silver toning with smoothly worn devices, with a few light pinscratches below the bust. It is one of the most important coins in the series and a prize for colonial collectors as well as Hibernia specialists. Listed on page 46 of the 2021 Guide Book.
Ex: Donald G. Partrick.

The silver Hibernia farthings are quite rare today as most have been absorbed into large collections. The known silver Hibernia farthings were known in three varieties, two of which were listed as R-5 (3.2-Bc.10 and 3.3-Bc.3), while another was unique (1724 5.1-G.1), so to find a completely unlisted die variety in silver is special indeed. There aren't many opportunities for a collector to obtain a unique variety of colonial coin, but this is one of them! Though I am saddened that Syd Martin passed away before he had a chance to add it to his incomparable cabinet, I am pleased to offer it here.
$4,000

Accompanied by Donald Partrick's original handwritten envelope, with a provenance to a Lester Merkin sale where it was recognized as unique in silver

 

69. Circa 1800 Hero of Freedom Medal. Musante GW-81, Baker-79C. Bronze, Fire Gilt. Plain edge. High Rarity-6. Extremely Fine, a large and handsome medal that would have gleamed like bright gold when new, and the reverse is very nearly in that condition still. There is rub on the high points of Washington's hair and the epaulet on his shoulder, and those areas and the obverse fields have the gilt worn away, showing the bronze metal beneath, though ample gilt remains in the details of Washington's bust, and the entire periphery. The reverse fared better and is nearly full gilt, with just the lightest rub on the highest points of the design, which suggests this was in a collector's cabinet, obverse side up and the reverse protected by the soft felt it rested on, likely for a century or more. A very rare variant in the series, the planchets were gilded prior to strike and these were clearly made as something special, both flashier and costlier than the regular bronze versions. As late as the sale of the Ford collection this was touted as an extreme rarity with just three known.

By the time the Norweb Washingtonia sold in 2006 the number was 5, but there were a pair in the original Baker collection sold in the 2019 C4 auction, and another pair in the Anton collection sold in the 2020 and 2021 C4 sales, these all high grade pieces that brought $2,400 to $3,600. The true population is likely 15 or so known in fire gilt, some quite high grade which were clearly cherished, others worn down as low as Good (!), which were likely kept as pocket pieces, as they would have been larger than any copper coin in circulation in the US – and wouldn't have circulated as a gold piece as a quick test would have shown it to be gilt and not actual gold.

The 1800 date puts them at the time of the Washington funeral celebrations, and these gilt versions may have been produced for sale at – or for wearing to – some of those events, and the presence of silver specimens that included a holed and worn example in the Norweb sale strongly support that supposition. A special piece for the collector, there are only a handful of early Washington issues that come gilt, and they are quite stunning in hand, especially for those of us more used to copper hues.
$700

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web