 1652 Massachusetts Bay Colony. Willow Tree Shilling. N.2-B, Cr.2-B & C, W.5. R-7. 71.6 gns. Extremely Fine for sharpness, nearly as made. The Noe Census #7 Coin. The Noe Plate Coin. The Noe Enlargement Coin. The obverse is pale gray in the center with gorgeous iridescent gold and pale blue-green around portions of the periphery. The reverse is mostly pale gray with iridescent blue and very faint rose showing. The tree is a little jumbled, the trunk appearing too far over to the right but with full inner detail and a complete root structure. Most of the leaves and branches on the tree can be seen, yet some require the aid of imagination. On this side the legend is somewhat jumbled but many of the letters are fully legible and those that are, particularly at the top, show the piece is essentially Uncirculated in condition. On the reverse, the date is also jumbled but the individual letters can be made out (the last being high above the third). The denomination is almost entirely obscure, only the X shows. The planchet is very finely made, nicely flat, and has great eye appeal.
Very rare: the cataloguer has seen only eight of these, a number that has not changed since he described the two in Hain. The presently offered coin is one of the nicest seen, others being the better Hain coin and the EF in B&M's September, 1990 sale. The best Stearns had was a VG and Roper's was VF. Described by Breen in part as ''One of only three known of these dies (2-B) and the only specimen from the B reverse (rarest Willow die) with all four figures of the date showing. Ex Wurtzbach, who priced it at $75, previously in Elder's sale of 5/11/35. Better than V.Fine for these crudely struck pieces; bought as Ex.Fine. Last record of a 2-B...at Schulman Sale 1951; the piece in ANA Conv. Sale 1952 turned out to be not a 2-B but a hitherto unseen muling, 2-A (only two known).''
Provenance as stated above.
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| Hammer Price: $160,000.00
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