Noe III-C, Crosby I.3 variety, considered to be Rarity-6.

Perhaps the most famous and storied of all colonial issues, beautiful in its simplicity, the coin all of us remember seeing in photos as children.

The New England Shilling was the very first coin struck in English North America and is extremely important as such.

And this is a wonderful example, light and original looking silvery-gray in color on both the obverse and reverse, with ample natural luster remaining. The planchet is nearly round (which is not always the case on these) and the surfaces are well above average for this issue. Just a few light scattered hairlines bear mention, but they are hardly distracting and are perhaps expected on a coin of such great age with the vast, unadorned surfaces of this type.

The all-important NE is well struck and nicely balanced, with the usual angled straight die break below the E. On the reverse, the denomination was impressed more sharply to the upper right resulting in some detail loss on the left side of the X, with such vagaries of production being altogether typical for this issue.

In all, a fantastic example, easily among the very finest known of this classic type.

Note that this coin has been verified by CAC.

Ex Stack’s sale of the John J. Ford Jr. Collection, October, 2005, lot #4; earlier F.C.C. Boyd Collection, T. James Clarke, Waldo Newcomer, Charles I. Bushnell.

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