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Dallas Signature Sale 1373 28-31 Mar 2024
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1652 Willow Tree Shilling, Salmon 3-C -- Plugged, Clipped -- NGC. Noe 3-C, W-180, High R.6. 49.8 grains. Die orientation: 165º. A clipped example of this variety, which retains much of both the obverse and reverse legends as well as good, if faint, diagnostic detail to the tree. Both sides are well-centered, and in each case the inner dotted circle is nearly complete. Indeed, the obverse's inner circle is about as round as one can hope for on a Willow Tree coin, and the obverse legend is fairly distinct where it hasn't been clipped: one can readily see nearly all of MASATHVSETS, with only the first S being nearly effaced. The + at the top of the tree is distinct, as are the branches below. Close examination reveals traces of the tree branches and trunk, as well as the ground line beneath. The central area of the reverse is virtually blank, with a ghost of the denomination's X just barely discernable. The inner circle here is broken into four arcs, a frequently seen phenomenon on these hammer-struck coins. The legend is less apparent, with DOM NEW being very faint, and the L in ENGLAND indistinct.
This is the second Stearns Collection example of this variety, listed and illustrated in the 1966 Mayflower catalog as lot 8, where it is very obviously holed slightly below 9 o'clock on the obverse. By the time it was offered by Bowers and Ruddy Galleries in their 1982 sale of material from the New York Public Library and Other Properties, the hole had been plugged and the surfaces tooled to resemble an unholed specimen (what the cataloger of that sale described as "a light repair on the rim"). The repair hasn't been mentioned at all in the two most recent sales traced. The plug was expertly inserted, and the surface tooling is good, but not flawless: while the partial final S of the obverse's MASATHVSETS may pass a cursory examination, the second N of the reverse's ENGLAND stands out in contrast to the clarity of the flanking A and D and draws attention to itself. The coin was retoned well, with dark gray peripheries framing lighter silver centers. Overall, the repair is well-done, and given the scarcity and importance of any Willow Tree shilling, its presence here does not overshadow the original details this coin has to offer. This piece is No. 11 in the census recorded in the October 2022 Long Beach Signature auction. Listed on page 35 of the 2024 Guide Book.
Ex: Stearns Collection (Mayflower, 12/1966), lot 8; Bowers and Ruddy (10/1982), lot 2002; Auction '83 (Stack's, 7/1983), lot 501; Stack's (10/2003), lot 2003; The Christopher J. Salmon Collection of Massachusetts Silver, Part III / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2023), lot 3630.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/colonials/1652-willow-tree-shilling-salmon-3-c-plugged-clipped-ngc-noe-3-c-w-180-high-r6/a/1373-3001.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-USCoins-1373-03282024
HID02906262019
© 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
1652 Willow Tree Shilling, Salmon 3-C -- Plugged, Clipped -- NGC. Noe 3-C, W-180, High R.6. 49.8 grains. Die orientation: 165º. A clipped example of this variety, which retains much of both the obverse and reverse legends as well as good, if faint, diagnostic detail to the tree. Both sides are well-centered, and in each case the inner dotted circle is nearly complete. Indeed, the obverse's inner circle is about as round as one can hope for on a Willow Tree coin, and the obverse legend is fairly distinct where it hasn't been clipped: one can readily see nearly all of MASATHVSETS, with only the first S being nearly effaced. The + at the top of the tree is distinct, as are the branches below. Close examination reveals traces of the tree branches and trunk, as well as the ground line beneath. The central area of the reverse is virtually blank, with a ghost of the denomination's X just barely discernable. The inner circle here is broken into four arcs, a frequently seen phenomenon on these hammer-struck coins. The legend is less apparent, with DOM NEW being very faint, and the L in ENGLAND indistinct.
This is the second Stearns Collection example of this variety, listed and illustrated in the 1966 Mayflower catalog as lot 8, where it is very obviously holed slightly below 9 o'clock on the obverse. By the time it was offered by Bowers and Ruddy Galleries in their 1982 sale of material from the New York Public Library and Other Properties, the hole had been plugged and the surfaces tooled to resemble an unholed specimen (what the cataloger of that sale described as "a light repair on the rim"). The repair hasn't been mentioned at all in the two most recent sales traced. The plug was expertly inserted, and the surface tooling is good, but not flawless: while the partial final S of the obverse's MASATHVSETS may pass a cursory examination, the second N of the reverse's ENGLAND stands out in contrast to the clarity of the flanking A and D and draws attention to itself. The coin was retoned well, with dark gray peripheries framing lighter silver centers. Overall, the repair is well-done, and given the scarcity and importance of any Willow Tree shilling, its presence here does not overshadow the original details this coin has to offer. This piece is No. 11 in the census recorded in the October 2022 Long Beach Signature auction. Listed on page 35 of the 2024 Guide Book.
Ex: Stearns Collection (Mayflower, 12/1966), lot 8; Bowers and Ruddy (10/1982), lot 2002; Auction '83 (Stack's, 7/1983), lot 501; Stack's (10/2003), lot 2003; The Christopher J. Salmon Collection of Massachusetts Silver, Part III / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2023), lot 3630.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/colonials/1652-willow-tree-shilling-salmon-3-c-plugged-clipped-ngc-noe-3-c-w-180-high-r6/a/1373-3001.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-USCoins-1373-03282024
HID02906262019
© 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved