 1652 Massachusetts Bay Colony. Oak Tree Sixpence. N.16, Cr.6-F, W.27A. R-5. 38.2 gns. Uncirculated. An exceptional specimen. The Noe Plate Coin. The Wurtzbach Plate Coin. The finest seen by the cataloguer, better than the sharp Hain coin, the EF in NN's 60th sale and finer than the Stearns, Roper, Norweb, MHS (1970) and even the outstanding 1991 ANS exhibition coins. This variety missing from both the Garrett and Oechsner collections. Breen thought this was possibly the finest known. The obverse is a medium coin silver gray in color while the reverse is a bright and spectacular gray with areas of iridescent russet showing around the inner beaded border. The obverse is a little soft below the center with the roots indistinct and the trunk almost invisible. The letters in the legend on this side are complete through MASATHVS, E is soft, TS show clearly.
The reverse is almost perfect for the denomination and type, the peripheral letters in the legend are essentially all on the flan and sharp, the central denomination and date are bold, the inner beaded border is complete, the color is near perfect and the surfaces are remarkable. This would be a great piece to buy just for the reverse for display purposes if nothing else. Described by Wurtzbach on his collector's ticket as ''Broken dies ob & rev. Exceedingly rare.'' Obverse die failing at E, as described; reverse breaking through the inner beaded border below AN, engaging the descender of neighboring D.
Ex Charles E. Clapp, Carl Wurtzbach, T. James Clarke, F.C.C. Boyd Collections.
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