British and World Coins, Historical Medals

MASSACHUSETTS, Oak Tree Shilling, 1652, oak tree, in masathvsets, rev. new england an dom, date and denomination, 4.74g/12h (Noe 5; Salmon 3-D; Whitman 470). Virtually mint state, well struck with light golden toning over remarkably fresh surfaces; extremely rare in this condition [Graded NGC MS 65] £40,000-£50,000

in the possession of an old British family for the last 300 years

A local coinage for New England was decreed in 1652 and the colonial government in Boston approached John Hull and Robert Sanderson, the only two skilled silversmiths in the colony to implement the policy. After a few false starts and alterations, the General Court decreed on October 19, 1652, that a round coinage with a design featuring a willow tree be implemented. Due to difficulties in producing the necessary dies and presses, the first Willow tree coin of any denomination wasn’t struck until 1654.
Some years later, probably in 1660 or 1662, the design was altered to an oak tree and the striking technique was changed from the traditional hammered method to a rocker press. It is believed these were struck for only a few years, being replaced by the commoner Pine Tree type c. 1667. All the coins bear the date 1652 which suggests that this represents the year the coinage was authorised and not that in which the coin was made. In support of this theory, the only coin not originally authorised was the Twopence, which was introduced in 1662 and thus carried that date.