 Province of the Massachusetts Bay. June 20, 1744. Two Pence, in ''New Tenor''. No.16085. Signed by R.(oland) Cotton and S.(amuel) Watts. Printed on sturdy, laid paper. 95mm by 117mm. A ''tall'' format note, printed in black from engraved copper plates. The back with typeset denomination, specie equivalent and Old Tenor conversion. The plates for the 1741/42 and 1742 Redated issues were re-engraved with the new date.
A circle encloses the detailed text, at the sides are vined pillars and at the top a frieze with lion crowned and motto of the Garter, HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE (Evil to him who thinks evil of it). At the lower left is the Royal Arms and at the lower right is the Massachusetts Seal. Re-engraved '1742' date from prior issue at the bottom. The back uses the reworked 1737 Five Pence face as a cartouche ('Two Pence', above 'Eleven Grains of Silver'); at the top 'Eight Pence, Old Tenor'. The third of four Two Pence notes of this type from the Ford-Boyd collection. Perhaps, printed from a different plate from the Serial No.1698 and Serial No.7213 examples in the Ford-Boyd collection (sold in the May, 2004 Ford III Sale). Despite the degeneration of the engraving, the style is certainly proper and genuine. The weakness in the plate is uniform, the centers holding the text fairly decent and the ink seeming to fall off the periphery of the note. The back is printed fairly strongly, as the printers certainly had many woodcut blocks for these.
Very Fine plus, displaying only a horizontal fold which is light with very crisp paper. There are three intersecting slits to the center, not visible until close scrutiny. A very short split at the right and some minor back foxing spots. Blurred pencil code notation at the back upper left corner. A rare issue and a very choice example, despite being from a weak face plate.
Ex F.C.C. Boyd Estate; Wayte Raymond.
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