1652 Willow Tree Shilling. Noe 2-B, Salmon 2-B, W-170. Rarity-7. Clipped (NGC).

Extremely Rare Noe 2-B Willow Tree Shilling 1652 Willow Tree Shilling. Noe 2-B, Salmon 2-B, W-170. Rarity-7. Clipped (NGC). A coin where numismatic rarity and historical significance outweigh quality, for even the most poorly struck and lowest grade Willow Tree shilling is an important property. Deeply toned in somewhat mottled steel, pewter and sandy-gray, the surfaces reveal only a few small planchet depressions during in-hand viewing, the most sizeable of which is at lower right obverse. The peripheral letters run off the flan on both sides, as perhaps one would expect given the NGC qualifier for clipping. Wear is also overall heavy, and the strike is typically incomplete for the type, the combination of which is actually more of a detriment to the coin's remaining detail than the clipping. For the peripheral legends we see portions of most letters in MASATHVSETS IN on the obverse, some quite faint, while the reverse is bold at AN D and NEW with faint traces of a few other letters. There is little discernible at central reverse apart from portions of the inner beaded circle, obverse with considerably more detail in the center including about half of the tree's branches and most of the inner beaded circle. Between the details of the tree and several of the peripheral letters on the reverse, the Noe 2-B attribution is confirmed. Closer inspection with a loupe is required to see several faint scratches and other minor marks scattered about, none of which are significant given how much circulation this coin obviously experienced. This brings us to the coin's details grade, which NGC did not provide. Grading a coin such as this is a challenge, for all Willow Tree shillings are more or less softly struck, particularly in the centers. Given how little central detail is present here, as well as the similar situation at the peripheries, a grade of Good Details seems appropriate to your cataloger. Willow Tree shillings are rarer than NE shillings in real terms, and as the second design type employed by the Boston Mint, they are every bit as significant both historically and numismatically. That offered here is one of only eight to 10 examples believed extant for the Noe 2-B variety. PCGS# 16. NGC ID: 2ARC. Click here for certification details from NGC.

Estimate:$1

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