1 Pine Tree Shilling, Massachusetts, 1652
date: label: date made
content: 1667 - 1682
label: date on object
content: 1652
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: One (1) pine tree shilling coin
label: Description (Brief)
content: Massachusetts, 1652
label: Description (Brief)
content: Obverse Image: Pine tree.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Obverse Text: MASATHVSETS / IN
label: Description (Brief)
content: Reverse Image: N/A
label: Description (Brief)
content: Reverse Text: NEW ENGLAND / AN DOM / 1652 XII
label: Description
content: Shortages of coins in the British colonies in North America motivated colonists to make their own money. In 1652 the Massachusetts Bay Colony produced the first colonial American coins. This coin is known as a Pine Tree shilling because its design features a pine tree, which served as a primary export for shipbuilding. By creating their own currencies, colonists demonstrated their increasing autonomy from Great Britain.
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts
label: place of issue
content: United States: Massachusetts
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
label: Exhibition
content: Value of Money
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Chase Manhattan Bank
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1979.1263.00420
label: catalog number
content: 1979.1263.00420
label: accession number
content: 1979.1263
label: catalog number
content: 00008
objectType: label: Object Name
content: coin
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: silver (overall metal)
label: Physical Description
content: 0 (overall die axis)
label: Physical Description
content: 0 (overall die axis measurement)
label: Physical Description
content: struck (overall production method)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 30 mm; x 1 3/16 in