 1652 Massachusetts Bay Colony. Oak Tree Sixpence. Noe 16 (R-5). 30.9 gns. Very Fine or so, the surfaces are a bit uneven from previous mishandling. In fact, this wafer thin coin was probably bent and straightened in the past, manifesting itself in a wrinkly crack bisecting the obverse. The surfaces are a battleship gray with lighter lavender hues gracing the higher points. This coin is actually unusual in that it is struck on a slightly larger than usual flan, thus accommodating most of the obverse legends, which are oftentimes incomplete on this variety. The legends, in fact, are also unique among the Oak Tree sixpence varieties, as Noe 16 omits the word 'IN' from the obverse, moving it instead from the reverse. This leaves little room for any reference to the lord (Domini), leaving the usual AN DOM simply as ANO. This coin is struck from the scarcely encountered early state of the dies in which the tree is fully visible and the dies are not cracked and failing. Although no perfect, here would make a fine addition to a collection of Massachusetts Silver.
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