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Number 125
NUMISMATIC NOTES AND MONOGRAPHS is devoted to essays and treatises on subjects relating to coins, paper money, medals and decorations.
PUBLICATION COMMITTEE
A. CARSON SIMPSON
,
ALFRED R. BELLINGER
AGNES BALDWIN BRETT
THOMAS O. MABBOTT
SAWYER MCA. MOSSER
,
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIC SOCIETY
PRINTED IN
AT
DEDICATED TO
Three Ardent Collectors of American Coins
FOREWORD
My obligations for aid in preparing this monograph are partly expressed in the dedication and in the introductions to the two
monographs on Massachusetts coinage which preceded it. I also owe cordial thanks to The
Massachusetts Historical Society, to the New England Historic and Genealogical Society and to the American Antiquarian Society, as well as to the
institution I serve. To my colleague,
Three hundred years ago on the 11th of June, 1652, a coinage for the
Boston in 1652 was a little over twenty years old. The settlement can scarcely have extended far from the waterfront. The inclement weather
contributed to epidemics which brought much sorrow and hardship to the settlers. Added to these very real difficulties was a pressing lack of
sufficient currency to supply the needs of the town. To meet this situation, the authorities of the colony resolved to establish a mint. For
carrying out their plans, they chose
Even a brief summary of the public services of
Approaching
About
Today, the four groups into which the coinage under Early Coins of America and the Laws Governing 'Their Issue, published in 1875, is the
rock-like foundation for any study of the early coinage of our country.5 In a previous study, the
New England and Willow Tree Coinages of Massachusetts
, the employment of methods not known in Crosby's day showed that the cryptic inscriptions on the Willow Tree issues, which seem to have
puzzled Crosby and his contempararies, were due to double or triple strikings and that only three obverse and five reverse dies were up to that
writing (1943) distinguishable — a valuable criterion in estimating the length of the period during which the Willow Tree coins were struck.
In a subsequent study, The Oak Tree Coinage of Massachusetts
, it was demonstrated that the cause of the irregularities in the striking of the Willow Tree coins must have been due to the use of
cylindrical dies whose freedom to rotate produced the repeated letters of the inscriptions and the double or triple impresses of the designs.
This condition was remedied by employing dies whose shape was prismoidal, i.e., dies with four, six or eight sides which permitted them to be
clamped so that the die would not rotate. The impress of these straight-edged dies was found on the Oak Tree issues, while the die-impress on the
Willow Tree coins was circular. This innovation may have been coupled with the use of a screw-press. As a result, the Oak Tree issues were
excellent coins for their period and sustain comparison with most contemporary European coinages. A tentative ordering for the Oak Tree varieties
somewhat modified that presented by Crosby. The present study takes up the last of the four coin-types, the Pine Tree.
The Pine Tree shillings are the best known of the issues of the
We do find reference to "Boston or Bay Colony" shillings, however, and this would be a collective term, applying to any of the forms, whether NE,
Willow, Oak or Pine. The great need for small denominations made these coins popular beyond the confines of the Bay Colony, for we have acts
passed by certain of the islands of the West Indies giving them currency.7 The cargoes of salted fish from Boston
found a ready sale in these
The appended plates showing the varieties of the Pine Tree issues display at a glance one condition which greatly simplifies their study. They divide themselves very conveniently into two groups: the first, and the earlier, have the enlarged, thin flan which marks most of the Oak Tree issues which precede; the second, have a much smaller and more constricted planchet (24–27 mm.). These must, therefore, have been the latest issues in the coinage as is made evident from a consideration of the hoards which are known.
In our "Descriptive Notes" the form of the inscriptions is given, together with distinguishing characteristics of each die. The plates and Crosby's table reproduced on Plates IX and X supply other pertinent details. The best preserved specimens available have been chosen for illustration; their present ownership and weight is recorded also.
In my earlier studies, The New England and Willow Tree Coinages of
Massachusetts
(Numismatic Notes and Monographs No. 102) and
Quoted by Crosby Early Coins of
"The Diaries of Transactions of the American Antiquarian Society, Vol. III, 1857, pp. III–316.
John Hull, a Builder of the Bay Colony (
For an appreciation of this volume, see New England
Crosby, The Early Coins of America (Boston, 1875), pp. 108–109.
Robert Chalmers, A History of Currency in the British Colonies (London, 1893), p. 64.
Establishing a date for the initiation of the Pine Tree type offers difficulties, but a careful study of the documents printed by Crosby permits
deductions which are helpful though not entirely conclusive. We have a copy of the court order for the minting of the twopence under date of May
16th, 1662.1 This provides for the coining of this denomination for the next seven years and stipulates the
proportion of twopence to the total coinage — a consideration of value in estimating the extent of the entire output. The term of seven years
seems to have become an id�e fixe of the authorities for, as we shall see, it occurs in at least two later agreements
between them and
If there was an interval between the large-flan Pine Tree coins and those which are smaller and thicker, it can hardly have been extensive in
time, but there is support for the suggestion in the agreement with the mint masters which precedes the one which we have just been considering.
This is dated October 9th, 1667, and like the two others which have been quoted, covers a period of seven years.4
This period would have expired in October of 1674, and that there was any coining between that date and July 9th, 1775, when the new agreement
with "the former mint masters" was signed, seems unlikely in the light of the explicitness which marks both the procedure of the Court and
Crosby makes the very probable suggestion that the decrease in diameter may have been due to the discovery that small dies lasted longer than the
ones required for the larger
With the plate of the large-flan Pine Tree shillings before one, it is easier to follow the reasoning which dictated the arrangement here
submitted. Crosby's ordering was based on the punctuation on the obverse die (p. 55 and Table on pages 56–7, reproduced on Plates IX and X of this monograph). The sizes given by him are for the diameters of the inner and outer circles of beads and are, as was
to have been expected from a man who was also a student of astronomy, accurate. But he does not start with the largest dies which his Table gives
as 3 and 4. (Nos. 2 and 3, herein). For both of these, the diameters of the beaded circles are larger than for any of the Oak Tree shillings, the
last of which has an oval rather than a circular border with the vertical axis longer than the horizontal. For the latest Oak Tree issues, the
flans as well as the dies are smaller than for our Nos. 1 to 3 of the Pine Tree coins. There would seem to have been a new beginning.
This, however, is not the only reason for the changed order.
The tree forms of Nos. 13 to 15 are much nearer the simplified forms of the later small-flan shillings shown on the following plates, from which our Nos. 1 to 3 are furthest removed in point of form or style. The transition from Nos. 1 to 15 is gradual and shows a consistent tendency. The die-combinations provide further support for the sequence as submitted. They show that there were three combinations — Nos. 2–3 (Crosby 3F and 4F), Nos. 4–7 (Crosby 5B and 7B) and Nos. 8–10 (Crosby 1C and 1D). Of these, the tree-form of No. 7 seems to have been a derivative of No. 2 with a trend away from the straight branches of the former toward the curved ones of Nos. 8–10.
Because the recutting of the last die of the Oak Tree shillings (Nos. 13 and 14) seems to try to make a Pine out of an Oak Tree, this may have
occurred after 1667 when
The last group of the Pine Tree coins, which we have shown may with some assurance be dated between 1675 and 1682 are more common than the
earlier pieces and show less marked differences. The diagram appended shows one striking contrast. Whereas previously a new die was not prepared
until the old one had been outworn, or nearly so, we have now clear indication that not less than four pairs of dies may
have been in use at the same time. Whether the tale that the Oak Tree on the coins was intended for the royal oak did satisfy
There is, however, another possibility. In a Minute of the Court dated October 10th, 1677, "It is ordered that the Tresurer doe forthwith prouide
tenn barrells of Cranburyes, two hogsheads of special Good Sampe, and three thousand of Cod ffish, to be sent to our messengers, by them to be
presented to his Majesty as A present from this Court.' An entry in Hull's letter book shows that part of this provender was sent in the ship
"Blessing" to the th our oune Impress, His Majty of his Gratious Clemency towards us hath not binn
pleased as yet to declare his pleasure therein; and wee haue Confidence that when he shall truely be informed of the symplicity of our Actings,
the publicke Joy thereof to his subjects here, and the great damage that the stoppage thereof will Inevitably be to our
necessary Comerce and abatement of his Majtjes Customes yearely Acruing by our merchants &
Nauigation, & is pajd at London, his majtye will not Account those to be freinds to his Croune that shall seeke to
Interrupt us therein; and for the Impress put tjes signall ouning vs if he
will please to order such an Impresse as shall be to him most Acceptable."
This shows clearly that hope of obtaining the royal permission had not yet been abandoned and a report by the agents of a seemingly favorable response might have resulted in an authorization to Hull and Sanderson to increase the output of the mint. The former explanation, however, seems the more probable.
Justifying the arrangement submitted for the small flan issues is much more difficult than might be expected. In the previous pages an effort has
been made to show that there was a considerable increase in the output of the mint during the last seven years of Hull's incumbency. There may
have been four pairs of dies in active use at the same time, possibly more. The combinations with the four reverse dies form an entity, albeit a
complicated one. In the present ordering, No. 15 (Crosby 24-N) precedes. The reasons for this placement are technical and stylistic. The pine
tree here seems to have been copied from No. 11 (Crosby 2a-Al), and the reduced size of the letters of the inscription on that die is followed on
both dies of this variety. The neatly formed letters and the exceptionally large interval between the last S of MASATHVSETS and IN seem to
indicate an engraver new to his task. So, too, do such inadvertencies as the lowered L of
The arrangement for Nos. 16 to 22 is determined by the wear on the reverse die (Crosby's L). One can hardly be certain that this order is absolutely as given because it is easy to confuse the wear on a given coin with the wear on the die, but if the demonstration that these dies were in use concurrently be accepted, it follows that no great difference in point of time will be involved. In his introductory paragraph for the series, Crosby remarks regarding the Pine Tree issues "This type furnishes at least twenty-four obverse dies of the Shilling, or about double the number of both Willows and Oaks, and are met within about the proportion of four of these to one of those." As between the large-flan Pine Tree shillings and those of the smaller and thicker flans, the latter appear to be much the more numerous.
If, as the combinations show, four pairs of dies may have been in use concurrently, the relative order within the complex is of comparatively
slight importance. Taking Crosby's L vice versa. The doubled V,s (for W) of the reverse inscription of No. 23 and the improved circle of the inner border might
be taken to indicate the order 20–23 (L-M). As between Nos. 23 and 24, the doubled Vs of the reverse link it to No. 23 rather than No. 24 so the
order submitted (L-M-O) seems highly probable. No. 26 definitely follows No. 25 because of the development of the die-flaw at the last N. Placing
No. 29 (Crosby 14-R) and No. 30 (Crosby 13-S) at the end of the coinage is based on the development of the tree-form and inscriptional tendencies
although the condition that the reverse die of No. 25 is not combined with more than one other die may point to O having followed Q.
Crosby, p. 55.
Cf. the enlargements shown on Plates VI to VIII of Oak Tree Coinage.
Colonial Entry Book, Vol. LXI, p. 218. Crosby, pp. 86–87.
Crosby, p. 78.
There are two hoards which are recorded with some degree of dependability. The first was found in Roxbury in 1863. This hoard contained
twenty-eight pieces and was acquired intact by The Historical Magazine for October,
1863, from which the following is taken:
"A few weeks since
"..... That the coins were not lost prior to 1662 is proved by the fact that several two-penny pieces of that date were found amongst them, while
the fine condition of the pieces,
In this hoard, sixteen coins were Oak and twelve Pine Tree issues. We are able to identify one of the Pine Tree shillings (our No. 11), and possibly a second (No. 3 ?). At least one of the remaining shillings was of the small-flan type — possibly all four — the insufficient description prevents certainty. But the presence of the one small-flan shilling enables us to date the burial of the hoard after the small-flan came into use, after about 1675. Were we able to identify the other varieties, we might be able to tell from them whether the loss of these coins took place immediately after the change to the small form or nearer to the cessation of the coinage in 1682.
The second hoard was found at
The hoard is reported to have contained between four and five hundred pieces. The Massachusetts issues were said to have numbered thirty in one
account and fifty to seventy-five in another description of this hoard. Fortunately, a selection of what purported to be one of each several
variety contained in the hoard was made by
At Exeter in October, 1876, a hoard said to have contained thirty to forty American Journal of Numismatics for 1877 (p. 92), and a much more
detailed account in the same publication for 1878 (p. 105) is signed C.H.B., probably
"It was in the process of excavating a cellar under the extension of a store, not far from the railroad station, in
"The remains of what appeared to be a wooden box, much decayed, were detected in the sand; the coins in all probability had been inclosed in it.
All the pieces found were shillings of the oak or pine-tree pattern, and bearing the date, of course,
We do not have any detailed record of the contents of this find, but in the Ferguson Haines Sale of October, 1880, there is a statement that the Willow Tree shilling, No. 11 in N. N. & M., No. 102, came from this source.
From Salem in 1737, comes a newspaper report of a find which bears all the marks of gross exaggeration. It was called to my attention by Salem Gazette
American Journal of
Numismatics for 1881 (p. 46) and is repeated (without original spellings) in the same Journal for 1890 (p. 31) with credit to the Boston Weekly News-Letter of July 21st, 1737. Although little more than a statement of place and circumstance is to be
gained from this paragraph, it is reprinted below:
"We hear from Boston Weekly News-Letter, July 21, 1737.
Coming from
Collections of the Maine Historical Society
, Vol. VI, 1859, PP. 107–126.
The Castine Deposit: An American Hoard (Numismatic Notes and Monographs 100).
Oak Tree Shilling, Woodward Sale, Mar. 30, 1864, Lot 138 and Pine Tree Shillings, Woodward Sale, Apr. 28, 1863, Lots 1870, 1871, 1873 (small flan) and sale of Oct. 20,1863, Lots 2460, 2467 (6-k).
One of the tragic episodes in the early history of the Bay Colony — the witch frenzy — has an indirect bearing on the coinage we have been
studying. A wave of hysteria seems to have swept over the colonists in 1692, centering in
We are told that it was the superstitious belief of the time that wearing a bent coin afforded protection against the power of "witches." Some of
our Pine Tree coins show evidence of having once been bent even though as we see them now they have again been flattened. Some show dents which
imply that teeth must have been the means of bending them initially. The thinness of the Pine Tree coins made bending an easy operation, and some
with holes for suspension may have seen service in the same manner as those which were bent. The Plate VI, a-c, a selection of
pieces which are believed to have served as witch pieces are shown.2
Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, Fifth Ser.,
It may have been a "witch piece" that we find mentioned in "Mother Goose":
There was a crooked man
And he walked a crooked mile
He found a crooked sixpence
Against a crooked stile.
The manner in which these coins were prepared is of interest, but the only evidence I have found is that provided by the coins themselves, and this is frequently clouded by wear and mutilation. A number of the better preserved pieces have edges that are straight for a part of the circumference1 and some of these straight edges have a bevel which implies the use of a chisel or some similar means of having produced that straight edge. But by far the greater portion of these pieces — even those with a straight edge of considerable length — have the most of their perimeter so curved that it could hardly have been formed by chisel cuts. Is it possible that a huge pair of shears might have produced the results we now see ? Trial and error would soon show the size of flan which would give the desired weight, and any excess could be removed by further clipping. The longer straight-edges would be understandable in such a process. There is too much irregularity for thinking that a circular cutting tool such as we use today for making discs or washers could have been used. A hammer blow, once the flan had been placed on a flat surface, would easily have removed any bending incidental to the shearing.
In our monographs devoted to the coinage of the Bay Colony, there has been frequent reference to the workmanship or die-cutting. In a very real
sense it has been more like engraving than cutting intaglio such as one would have had for a Greek coin. The contemporaneous European issues such
as those of the mother The History of Lynn
1 that the dies were made by made the dies, but there seems no good
reason for attributing their engraving or cutting to an iron-founder.
There are notable differences in the forms of the letters as well as errors in spelling that were palpably due to copying. Knowing as we do that
The frequency with which we find reversed S's, and N's which have the middle stroke incorrectly cut, shows that either a novice or a careless
workman was responsible. ANNO was usually abbreviated to AN, but in the Pine Tree threepences we find ANO. Further we find it omitted in one
instance (
Plate V, 34) and then added to a second state of the die with a readjustment of the adjacent letters to
equalize the spacing (
Plate V, 35). If the forthrightness which characterizes Hull's letters found vent after the disclosure of such
inadvertencies, there must have been times when the mint-house echoed to forceful language.
It must not be thought, however, that such mistakes were common. After mastering the difficulties which made the Willow Tree pieces such poor coins, the inscriptions are exceptional in their excellence, and need no apologist. It is doubtful that anything would be gained through trying to differentiate the workmanship of this or that engraver. The silverware bearing the punches of Hull and Sanderson show little lettered engraving that is not obviously a later addition. For the purpose of establishing the sequence, the numismatic approach through die-combinations and die-breaks is relatively much more dependable.
History of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts ... 1629-1864 (
Early Coins of America, p. 80.
John Coney, Silversmith, 1655–1722 (
One of the reasons given in the records for the change from the NE type to that with "a tree" was the ease with which the NE pieces could be
clipped. This may have been foreseeing a condition which had not yet come to pass, but it is strange that no clipped NE coins have come under my
observation. Clipped or underweight specimens of the following varieties have been noted and a selection is shown on Plate V.
There are other pieces which seem to have been clipped, but which the scales show to be of normal weight. Some pieces have lost a few grains only
and these can hardly have suffered this loss by clipping. In addition, we are fortunate in having a Plate V, c). Others have had a ring of metal removed (Cf.
Plate XI, a, b),1 and this procedure is a less obvious
reduction of the coin's value. Both large and small flan issues have suffered from this practice, but the larger flan pieces which had undergone
circular clipping would have been more easily passed after the small-flan Pine Tree pieces had come into being. A further form of mutilation has
been published by H. Alexander Parsons.2 This is a quartering of a Pine Tree shilling (
Plate V, b) which probably occurred in the Leeward Islands of the Plate V, d) may be another instance of this practice although it may also have been the result of a coin
having been bent for wear as a witch piece and broken in the process.
Overweight is rare and is sometimes a valuable hint that the genuineness of a coin is questionable. All weights above the norm recorded have been for Pine Trees.
Pieces illustrated are: (a) clipping of a shilling of
"A Cut New England Threepence Attributed to the Leeward Islands," British Numismatic Journal, XV (1919–1920), p.
225.
From the space devoted to counterfeits and imitations herein, they may appear to have been given undue prominence, but because some of these fabrications may be dated within fairly close limits and also because the copies are frequently mistaken for the genuine pieces by the uninitiated who have no originals with which to compare them, they are listed with more detail than they deserve.
A, B and C. These pieces are to be dated before 1854 on the evidence of
The source of B and C was the same as for A, and because these pieces betray a knowledge of the Bay Colony's coinage, which, though hardly to be
called thorough or competent could not be stigmatized as superficial, we may draw some conclusions from what was selected for imitation. Their
fabricator was not concerned with the Oak Tree issues. He was working at a time when Crosby's demonstration that the Oak Tree type preceded the
Pine Tree had not yet been published. It seems scarcely credible that the very slight evidence that a coinage was being considered by the
officials of the colony before 1652, on the basis of which Crosby and others were willing to give these pieces a hearing, could have been known
to the originator. He did not know that the small-flan Pine Tree pieces were the latest in the coinage, but the
D. It is breaking with tradition to place this coin among the counterfeits, but its many inconsistencies forbid any other course. The heavy inner borders, the clumsy, spindling letters of the inscriptions of both sides and the huge numerals of the reverse dictate this conclusion. The encroaching of the border on the letter L is evidence that the cog-wheel border was cut later than the inscription, something I believe contrary to the practice for the genuine pieces.
E. The weight of this piece and the spelling ENGLAD as well as the metal (copper or bronze) mark this as the work of a bungler. One might say almost as much for F, but as at least three specimens are known and since it is die-struck, it is to be recognized as an attempt to make a fabrication which would mislead, and further specimens may appear.
Since there is no center point for a compass visible, the maker seems not to have known that one was used for the genuine issues. The borders suffer in consequence, not only in not being true circles, but because the beads are not uniform in size.
F is the work of another bungler; the misspellings give it away.
My first monograph on the Massachusetts coinage gave such data as I could discover for the work of Thomas Wyatt.2
There is no occasion for repeating most of the information given there. The newspaper references to these productions are dated 1856. Does it not seem probable that the two-hundredth anniversary of the coinage may have been taken as the reason for presuming an interest which might be capitalized ?
Of the eight pairs of dies associated with the name of
It will be remembered that the denouncing of Wyatt's counterfeits was based on two conditions of which he was ignorant. The twopence was
mistakenly dated 1652, the penny was never struck. In this he was apparently misled by the engraved plate in An Historical Account of the Massachusetts Currency, published in 1839, or by an earlier English
publication, Folkes' Tables of English Silver and Gold Coins printed in 1763. The specimen illustrated by Crosby
differs from the others in the collection of the American Numismatic Society.
There is slight occasion for commenting on the threepence and twopence, save to note that
The qualities which betray the Plates VII and VIII are compared with their prototypes, those differences which in a description
seem minor are quickly caught by the eye of anyone familiar with the series. The flatness of these pieces is distinctive. In most cases, they
are "too good to be true."
New England and Willow Tree Coinages, pp. 50–55.
Nov. 11, 1862, No. 1359 and Apr. 28,1863, No. 1911.
University of Michigan Collection.
Early Coins of America, p. 63.
1. (Crosby 12-1). MASATHVSETS · IN Plate I, a, b) than to those of the Pine Tree which follow, but the N is
correctly engraved as in the earlier group. The encircling borders are formed of short slightly elongated units rather than of beads or
pellets. No guide lines for border are visible but the regularity of the circle indicates that the central point has been obliterated in
cutting the trunk of the tree. The rosette has seven beads.
Rev. NEWENGLAND:AN:DOM Plate VI, f AND h). A more pronounced flaw shows in the N of AN. The colons are
unusual.
A.N.S. Coll. 4.62 grams, 71.3 grains.
2. (Crosby 4-F). MASATHVSETS IPlate V, 32), which uses a reverse die shared by the Oak Tree series, as well as those on the recut Oak
Tree shilling (
Plate I, b). The beautifully formed letters of the inscription are bold and well-spaced. The N is inverted.
The E is unusual in that the middle stroke crosses the upright — so also on the reverse. The form of the
Rev. NEWENGLAND · AN · DOM · The date is uncommonly large, filling the central field; the 6 is distinctive. The linear
circle for guidance in cutting the inner border is visible at the top and bottom. The N's are normal. The lettering, as on the obverse, is
bold.
T. James Clarke Coll. 4.52 grams, 69.8 grains.
On this and on several other dies, there is indication of an injury to the die which is communicated to each piece struck from these dies
after the damage took place. The probable explanation of the cause of this injury is that force was applied when there was no flan between the
two dies in use, with the result that the reverse die was impressed on the obverse and vice versa. The first occurrence
of this phenomenon noticed, is to be seen on PL I, 6 of Oak Tree Coinage. It seems to have taken place after the
die-flaw between the letters A and N on the reverse had developed — say, at the stage G on P1. II. On No. 1 of the Pine Tree shillings, there
are faint traces of the Roman numerals in relief beneath the roots of the tree, and the letter O of the DOM is discernible on some specimens
to the left at the edge of the flan and between the letters A and S of MASATHVSETS. In this instance, the injury is not in direct line with
its cause (i. e., the section of the reverse at the same clock-position); the dies do not seem to have been in their proper relationship when
the damage took place.
3. (Crosby 3-F). Inscription identical in every detail with that of No. 2.1 Pine tree with long branches which
curve upward completely filling the field. The entire tree seen in No. 2 has been covered by engraving the larger one with the curved
branches. Superimposing enlarged photographs has confirmed the identity of the inscriptions. Rev. Die of No. 2.
4. (Crosby 5-B1). MASATHVSETS IRev. NEW · E
F. C. C. Boyd Coll. 4.73 grams, 73.0 grains.
5. (Crosby 5-B2). Die of No. 4, but weakened by use.
Rev. Die of No. 4, but no period between NEW and E
6. (Crosby 5a-B2). Die of Nos. 4 and 5 given a separate number to indicate recutting. In the tree, the
fourth branch is now connected with the trunk, and the top differs. The borders have been recut — the outer border at the bottom and the inner
at ten o'clock. Some of the letters have been modified, especially the second S and the I (enlarged). The die is injured at the top and the
border at that point recut.
Rev. Die of No. 5 with flaws showing further enlargement.
The American Numismatic Society. 4.66 grams, 71.9 grains.
7. (Crosby 7-B3). MASATHVSETS · IN · Pine tree with top touching the border; the ground-line higher and with more than
usual hatching to left of the trunk. The second S is incomplete. The M is in line with the tree trunk. The outer border bulges at the top.
Rev. Die of Nos. 4, 5 and 6. The flaw in the left field visible in No. 4 has now been eliminated. The 6 of the date has
been enlarged and the recutting has modified the 5. A die crack extends from the inner
The American Numismatic Society 4.65 grams, 71.8 grains.
Establishing the order for Nos. 8–10, Crosby's dies 1-c and 1–d, requires having a large number of specimens for comparisons. A single obverse
die is combined with two differing reverses, Crosby c and d. Our Plate shows that No. 8 (Crosby 1b) is the earlier — it
has been recut to form No. 10 (Crosby 1a). Crosby's order, therefore, must be reversed. This conclusion also changes his
ordering for the two reverses. One of these (Crosby's d) is combined solely with the earlier state of the obverse and must, therefore, precede
the second (Crosby c) which comes into use with the later recut obverse (Crosby 1a). The order thus established is No. 8
(Crosby 1b-D), No. 9 (Crosby 1b-c), No. 10 (Crosby 1a-c).
8. (Crosby 1b-D). MASATHVSETS · I
Rev. Plate VI, e). They grow until they affect the obverse, as has been noted. The 5 of the date has its top
element unusually curved. The borders are true circles of heavy elongated units.
9. (Crosby 1b-c). In the later stages of this die (No. 8), whether because of wear or because of doctoring the letter at
the top, the tree is weak and this portion is seldom forced up into the die. The letters H, V and S are thickened — apparently by recutting,
and some of the other letters may have been deepened.
Rev. NEW · E
10. (Crosby 1a-c). Die of No. 8. The tree is entirely re-engraved with straight ground-line and enlarged roots. The V and
S at the top have been repaired.
Rev. Die of No. 9 — a later state.
11. (Crosby 2a-A1). MASATVSETS · I
Rev.
12. (Crosby 6-k). MASASTHVSETS⁘I
3
Rev.
Historical Magazine, Oct. 1863, stating that this piece was unique and that it had come from the
Castine Deposit. This piece sold in Woodward Sale for Oct. 1863, lot 2467.3
13. (Crosby 9-G).... THVSETS I Punctuation not discernible. Tree with six pairs of branches slightly curved. The tapering trunk is unusually thick at the ground-line which shows hatchings to r. and 1. The letters of the inscription are large, but well-formed; the H is unusually wide and the I double-cut. The inner border has elongated units which are not uniform in size.
Rev.....NGLAND · A.... All four digits of the date are large. Of the Roman numerals, the X is larger and the second I
shorter than the other two figures. As in No. 12, the inscription begins at 5 o'clock. The only specimen known to me is in the collection of
the Massachusetts Historical Society. It has been clipped and weighs 3.08.
Massachusetts Historical Society. 3.08 grams, 47.6 grains.
14. (Not in Crosby). (MA)SATHVSETS (IN) — The punctuation not discernible. This reading is obtained by combining the data on two worn and
clipped specimens in the collection of Yale University — the only pieces known to me. The heavy trunk of the tree and the curvature of the
branches mark the trend toward the thick-flan issues. In size, the visible letters are like those of Nos. 1 to 10 rather Rev. (NEW) ENGLAND · AN · DO(M) · The digits of the date
resemble those of Nos. 4–6. The Roman numerals are large and heavy. The beginning point for the inscription is apparently five o'clock, which,
up to this point, is unusual. Both specimens clipped; the weights are 3.03 and 3.02.
Yale University. 3.03 grams, 46.8 grains.
15. (Crosby 24-N). MASATHVSETS
Rev. NEWENGLAND · AN · DO · Date high in the field — the 5 distinctive. The Roman numerals are widely spaced and badly
formed; the second I shows modification at its base. The central point for describing the borders shows above the first I. The L of the
inscription is lower than the letters which precede and follow, and its serif joins that of the A. The interval between N and D (at one
o'clock) is excessive. The weakness at four o'clock is common to all specimens. Periods (rather than rosettes as on the obverse) are used for
punctuation.
F. C. C. Boyd Coll. 4.48 grams, 69.2 grains.
16. (Crosby 21-L). MASATHVSETS
Rev. NEWENGLAND · AN · DO · Inscription begins at eight o'clock. Date and numerals are high on the flan — the I's of
the XII have been double-cut, and the serifs of the shorter and earlier forms
17. (Crosby 22-L). Inscription as for No. 16. The central point for describing the borders shows on the trunk of the tree. Many specimens show only part of the outer border. The second upright stroke of the H seems to have been altered or recut. A flaw at the N develops fairly early in the life of the die.
Rev. Die of No. 16.
F. C. C. Boyd Coll. 4.54 grams, 70.1 grains.
18. (Crosby 23-L). MASATHVSETSRev. Die of Nos. 16–17, but with beginning die-breaks showing.
19. (Crosby 20-L). MASATHVSETS
Rev. Die of Nos. 16–18, but die-flaws show development above the last N and the O, and another through the first period
is now visible. A new die crack extends from the outer border to the top of the E in NEW.
F. C. C. Boyd Coll. 4.20 grams, 64.8 grains.
20. (Crosby 18-L). MASATHVSETS
Rev. Die of Nos. 16–19. The flaws noted in No. 18 are larger.
21. (Crosby 17-L). The inscription is as for No. 20. The H is smaller than the other letters. The inner border is smaller and heavier than in
No. 20 and in this regard, as well as in the compactness of the tree, more closely resembles No. 19. A large die-flaw obscures the second
rosette and another flaw interrupts the outer border at five o'clock (Cf.
Plate VI, g). The obverse of the piece illustrated by Crosby comes from an earlier state of the die. The
limbs of the tree are paired with the exception of the third.
Rev. Die of Nos. 16–20. The die flaws of Nos. 19 and 20 show further development and enlargement, but the flaw on No.
22 between the G and L is not to be seen here. This state must therefore be intermediate, and since both Nos. 21 and 22 are known in
relatively few specimens, must have come close to the end of the life of the die.
The American Numismatic Society. 4.57 grams, 70.5 grains.4
22. (Crosby 16-L). MASATHVSETS Rev. Die of Nos. 16–20. The previously noted flaws are enlarged; an additional one shows between G and L.
23. (Crosby 16-M). Die of No. 22.
Rev. NEVVENGLAND · AN · DO · The W is formed by repeating V's. The N's have given the engraver trouble. The first three
letters of
24. (Crosby 23-M). Die of No. 18.
Rev. Die of No. 23 with flaws developed.
25. (Crosby 16-o). Die of No. 22 and No. 23, but showing greater wear, especially at first rosette.
Rev. NEVVENGLAND · AN · DO · The first and last digits of the date are heavy and the 2 is distinctive in form. The
central point for describing the borders is heavier than usual. The W, as in No. 23, is formed of two V's. The N's show variations. Faint die
cracks at the bottom of the die.
26. (Crosby 15-o). MASATHVSETS⸭IN
Rev. Die of No. 25, with slightly enlarged die cracks.
27. (Crosby 18-Q). Die of No. 20, with break at top of tree further developed.
Rev. NEWENGLAND·AN·DO Excessive spacing between the 6 and 5 of the date. The X has a pigeon-toed appearance. The large,
thin letters of the inscription are in contrast to those of the obverse — they more nearly resemble those which came at the end of the
thin-flan Pine Tree shillings (Nos. 13 and 14). The inner border has heavy units. A die break obscures what seems to be a colon preceding
AN.
28. (Crosby 19-Q). MASATHVSETS⁘IN
Rev. Die of No. 27.
29. (Crosby 14-R). MASATHVSETS⁘IN⁘ The rosettes are formed of four beads. The inscription in small, well-formed letters, the N smaller than the others. The M is recut — apparently to lessen the contrast with the A and S following, which even with this alteration are comparatively small. The lowest branch of the tree is distinctively curved upward.
Rev. NEW:ENGLAND:AN:DO: Date and numerals high. The X is as in No. 27. Colons are used instead of rosettes or periods.
Placing one of these after NEW is contrary to the previous usage. The pellets of the colon preceding AN have coalesced. All the N's are small.
The inner border with elongated units is not a true circle.
30. (Crosby 13-s). MASATHVSETS⁘IN⁘ The rosettes have four beads. The rather scrawny Pine Tree has a trunk of almost uniform thickness from bottom to top. The units of the inner border are unequal in thickness. The die is larger than the flan and only rarely shows any part of the outer border.
Rev. NEWENGLANDA∴AN∴DO∴ The 5 of the date is S-like; the 2 crowds the inner border. The rosettes have three beads. The
inner border with heavy, elongated units set close together, like that of No. 29, is not a true circle.
F. C. C. Boyd Coll. 4.57 grams, 70.6 grains.
31. (Crosby 8-E). MASATH..ETS IN Heavy-branched tree set high in the field. This badly clipped and worn piece shows only the bases of some of the letters. It is the only specimen known and was formerly in Crosby's collection. The lower element of the E is exceptionally long. The inner border has widely spaced units. The form of the rosettes is not discernible.
Rev. Only the last two digits of the date visible. The E is like that of the obverse. The units of the inner border are
carelessly spaced. Punctuation indeterminable.
Massachusetts Historical Society. 2.36 grams, 36.4 grains.
This condition was a discovery of
Cf.
Plate VI, e.
Cf. variety with MASSASTHVSETS in W. E. Woodward Sales, Dec. 1865, lot 1598 and Dec. 1866, lot 996. This questionable variety can hardly be 6-k which Woodward described in his Oct. 1863 sale.
The only other specimen known of this variety is reproduced on Plate III, 21a from Crosby, PI. II, 11.
32. (Crosby 2 – Oak D). MASATHVSET(· IN):
Rev. Die of Oak Tree 20–22. (N. N. & M., No. 110, p. 20.)1
F. C. C. Boyd Coll. 2.17 grams, 33.5 grains.
33. (Crosby 1-A). MASATHVSETS · IN · Pine Tree with four pairs of branches resembling No. 28 (Crosby 14-R) in the curve of the lower limbs. A pellet on either side of the trunk. The E encroaches on the inner border, as does also the N.
Rev. NEWENGLAND · ANO · In the field, 1652 and VI. The date is similar in form to that of No. 28. A die crack barely
visible in its earlier stages, starts from the top of the V, shows between the first and second digits of the date and extends to the inner
border below the second E. The flans are rarely large enough to accommodate the entire die-impress.
F. C. C. Boyd Coll. 2.20 grams, 33.9 grains.
33a. Nearly complete legend on obverse, advanced die-break on reverse.
Oak Tree No. 20 (A.N.S. Coll., 2.21 grams, 34.1 grains) is illustrated for comparison on
Plate V, a.
34. (Crosby 1-A1). MASATHVSETS · Pine Tree with a pellet on either side of the trunk as in No. 33. The branches curve
downward as they join the trunk. The inscription begins at twelve o'clock.
Rev. NEWENGLAND · In the field, 1652 and III. The inscription begins at eleven o'clock. The first N is large and the E
small. The flans are seldom large enough to accommodate the die-impress.
35. (Crosby 1-A2). Die of No. 34.
Rev. NEWENGLAN
36. (Crosby 2a-B). MASATHVSETS
Rev. NEWENGLAND
37. (Crosby b-B). Die of No. 36. The H recut — it is now smaller. A bad die break obscures the second A.
Rev. Die of No. 36.
Descriptions
A. (Crosby Fig. 20, page 63.) MASSACHVSETS · IN · A spindling tree with double ground-line and with short branches bearing "blobs" to represent cones. The units of the inner border form a crude oval and are not uniform in size; they are somewhat larger than those of the outer border. A guide line for the outer border shows clearly. Four S's instead of three mark this die and do not occur elsewhere in the coinage. The "periods" of the inscription are unusual.
Rev. NEW-ENGLAND*AN · DO* The date, 1650 (sic) is separated from the Roman numerals by a horizontal line. The beads of the
borders are larger than those on the obverse, and the guide line for the outer border is clearly discernible. The letters of the inscription are
unequal in height. The workmanship throughout is crude. Die struck.
Crosby devotes four pages to this and the next-described counterfeits, quoting a letter from
Whoever cut this and the two following dies dated 1650 probably conceived them as patterns for the coinage authorized in 1652. The tree forms
given them did not appear until late in the coinage for the Bay Colony — near its end for Plate VII, A2. Neither form occurs among the genuine issues.
Crosby rightly rejects all three varieties as spurious. His printing of
B. MASATHVSETS ⁘ IN ∴ The inscription begins at five o'clock. Small pine tree with three pairs of branches. For the tree, our No. 1 (Crosby 12-1)
seems to have been taken for its prototype, although the size is nearer that of the thick-flan form. The letters of the inscription are unequal
in height. The second rosette is poorly cut. Rev. NEWENGLAND: AN DO: Colon omitted between AN and DO. In the field, 1650
and XII. The 6 of the date resembles that of No. 2 (Crosby 4F) although the placing of the date is different.
From the letter of
C. MASATHVSETS ⁘ IN ⁘ The Pine Tree has four pairs of straight branches and the form of the thick flan issues. The beads of the inner border are large and regular. The first S of the inscription is unduly small.
Rev. NEWENGLAND · AN · DO · High in the central field, 1650 and XII. The final digit is mistakenly described in
F. C. C. Boyd Coll. 3.68 grams, 56.8 grains.
Ex Collection
D. (Crosby 10-P). MASATHVSETS · IN · Commonly known as the cogwheel shilling. This specimen is the only one known. It was included by Crosby, and
found a place in such important collections as the
Rev. NEWENGLAND · AN · DO · The date and numerals are a little larger than usual. The 5 is different in form; the XII is
large in scale and its letters are very thin. Their placement in the field is "offkey" As on the obverse, the inscription periods are large and
heavy. The heavy inner cog-wheel border intercepts the L at the top, indicating that the "beads" were cut after the
inscription, again contrary to practice. The coin has been considered questionable by many, and is here treated as a fabrication. Its presence in
the McCoy Sale (1864) dates it before that year. The weight slightly exceeds the norm.
E. MASA(TH)VSETS
Rev. NE(W E)NGLAD (sic)
F. MAϨATHVϨETϨ · IN · Pine Tree with curved branches, thick twisted trunk and wide ground-line with pronounced hatchings for the roots. The beads of both borders weak and unequal in size, unlike those on genuine specimens. The inner border is very light at the lower right. Note the reversed S's of the inscription and the incomplete A. The second stroke of the V is doubled.
Rev. NEWENGLAND · ANDOM · Border units like those of obverse. The W is formed by closely interlacing two V's. The 6 of the
date is like that of No. 2 (Crosby 4F). The weights of four known specimens vary between 70.2 and 72.2 grains.
F. C. C. Boyd Coll. 4.55 grams, 70.2 grains.
G. MASATMVS TS IN ⁘ The Pine Tree remotely resembles that of No. 1 (Crosby 12-1). The flan is of the reduced size of the final group (Nos. 14–30). The borders form true circles and have beads which are equal in size. Of the inscription, the first A is double-cut and M is mistakenly engraved for H. The visible rosette has four beads.
Rev. NEW.NGEFD · · AN
H. (Crosby 11-H; described but not illustrated by him). "The lower branch at the left is very near the ground; the trunk is crooked. Four heavy roots left of the trunk below, and two above the ground at right, point to the right. The legend on this variety is enclosed in a plain ring, not beaded. Punctuated with a point and a group of seven. This may be an early counterfeit." The unbeaded border is distinctive.
Rev. Crosby's Table shows punctuation of inscription like that of No. 1. The inner border (large, round beads) has a
diameter greater
I. (Crosby 25-T). Described but not illustrated by Crosby. An engraving of the piece may be seen in the supplementary plate (XX) to Dickeson's
American Numismatic Manual where it is described as being in the collection of Plate VIII).
At the sale of this collection (by W. E. Woodward, April 28, 1863, lot 1876), it was acquired by Charles I. Bushnell. In the sale of his
collection, June 20,1882, it was lot 176, and is there described as a struck piece that has had both letters and tree tooled. Part of the legend
is characterized as "weak" and "indecipherable," and "unique ?" is added. Its present whereabouts is unknown to me. Crosby describes it:
"Branches (5) all in pairs, curving parallel, full of fine leaves; the trunk tapers from the ground to the top; the legend is not distinct, but
probably is MASSATVSETS · IN · This piece has a modern appearance and its genuineness is doubted."
Rev.
J. Sixpence with inscription as on No. 32. Pine Tree with short, curved ground-line, and four pairs of branches, the upper two of which are very short. The inner border of small regular beads is flattened at the bottom; the outer border generally shows.
Rev. NEWENGLAND · ANO · The 5 of the date is unusually large. Both E's of the inscription are small, the W is poorly
formed, the O is flattened and the crosspiece of the second A is low. The inner border, which is also flattened at the bottom, has beads which
are
K. Threepence with MASATHUSETS ∴ (IN omitted). Crudely formed tree with three pairs of branches. Borders of disproportionately heavy beads.
Rev. NEW ENGLAND ∴ The date is high in the field and the heavily-beaded borders are not true circles.
Wyatt's Fabrications
L. Sixpence. Inscription as for No. 33, of which this is an excellent copy. The tree is better centered than in the prototype—the pellets on either side of the trunk are omitted. Both borders are regular and complete.
Rev. Accurate copy of No. 33. The 5 of the date is not very successful. The N's are oversized and the W better formed than
on the original. Both borders complete.
The American Numismatic Society Coll. 2.18 grams, 33.6 grains.
M. Threepence. Nearer to No. 36 (Crosby 2a-B) than to No. 35, although there is a resemblance to some of the later shillings in the tree form.
Rev. Copy of the reverse of No. 36. Die-break below the first digit of the date. The rosette has seven beads as
compared with nine of the original.
The American Numismatic Society Coll. 1.14 grams, 17.6 grains.
N. A combination of the obverse of M with the reverse of the Wyatt Oak Tree twopence.
O. Penny. ..SATHVS...... Scrawny tree with heavy ground-line, two branches to the left and two to the right. The inner border (not a true circle) is of disproportionately heavy beads. Only part of the inscription is on the flan; apparently it begins at eight o'clock.
Rev. ..... GLA.. 1652 and I. The inscription begins at eight o'clock. The inner border has heavy beads.
TheAmericanNumismatic SocietyColl. 0.38 grams, 5.9grains. (
Plate VII,O).
0.45 grams, 7.0 grains. (
Plate VII, P).
Reproductions
X. Fairly accurate copy of No. 9 (Crosby 1b-D). The horizontal diameter of the inner circle is 17 mm; that of the outer (vertically) 18 mm.
Rev Copy of inscription of No. 9 with the beginning slightly higher on the flan. An inner border, surrounding the date,
bears the words FACSIMILE · PINE · TREE · SHILLING · INTERNATIONAL · STERLING · The weight of the specimen in the American Numismatic Society
collection is 7.23 grams (111.6 grains); that in the Massachusetts Historical Society collection, 7.65 grams (118.1 grains).
Y. Reproduction of No. 17 (Crosby 23-L), with an added outer border making the diameter of the flan 31 mm. The inscription on the outer border
completes that begun on the reverse, and reads IN WHAT IS NOW THE
Rev. Accurate copy of the reverse of No. 17 (Crosby die L); with close following of such details as the enlarged W and the
omitted beads of the inner border just below that letter. The inscription of the outer border reads THE FIRST SILVER COIN ISSUED. This
reproduction was issued by Thomas L. Elder. The piece illustrated is of white metal and the weight is 6.51 grams (100.4 grains).
Massachusetts Historical Society specimen.
Z. MASATHVSETS · IN ⁘. Pine Tree in a circle of uniformly spaced beads, 23 mm. in diameter. Outer rim milled (diameter 37.5 mm.). The pine tree resembles that of No. 1 (Crosby 12–1).
Rev. NEWENGLAND:AN:DOM
The specimen in the collection of the American Numismatic Society is in the form of a locket and is believed to have been sold at the Columbian World's Fair (1892–3).
This denomination, of course, was never issued by the Bay Colony. It was never intended to mislead and is in the nature of a commemorative issue.
SHILLINGS (OAK, a-b; PINE, 1–6)
SHILLINGS
SHILLINGS
SHILLINGS
SIXPENCE (32–33a) THREEEPENCE (34–37) MUTILATIONS (a-f)
WITCH PIECES (a-c) DIE DAMAGE (d-h)
FABRICATIONS AND IMITATIONS
FABRICATIONS AND IMITATIONS
REPRODUCTIONS (X–Z) ENGLISH CLIPPING-FORMS