1 Pine Tree Shilling, United States, 1652
date: label: date on coin
content: 1652
label: date made
content: 1667 - 1674
name: label: maker
content: Massachusetts Bay Colony
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: As early as 1650, the colony of Massachusetts Bay was a commercial success. But an inadequate supply of money put its future development in jeopardy. England was not inclined to send gold and silver coins to the colonies, for they were in short supply in the mother country.
label: Description
content: Taking matters into their own hands, Boston authorities allowed two settlers, John Hull and Robert Sanderson, to set up a mint in the capital in 1652. The two were soon striking silver coinage-shillings, sixpences, and threepences. Nearly all of the new coins bore the same date: 1652.
label: Description
content: This was the origin of America's most famous colonial coin, the pine tree shilling. The name comes from the tree found on the obverse. It may symbolize one of the Bay Colony's prime exports, pine trees for ships' masts. Massachusetts coinage not only circulated within that colony, but was generally accepted throughout the Northeast, becoming a monetary standard in its own right.
label: Description
content: Why the 1652 date? Some believe that it was intended to commemorate the founding of the Massachusetts mint, which did occur in 1652. Others believe the choice was a reflection of larger political events. Coinage was a prerogative of the King. In theory, these colonists had no right to strike their own coins, no matter how great their need.
label: Description
content: But in 1652, there was no king. King Charles had been beheaded three years previously, and England was a republic. The people in Massachusetts may have cleverly decided to put that date on their coinage so that they could deny any illegality when and if the monarchy were reestablished.
label: Description
content: This "1652" shilling is likely to have been minted around 1670. In 1682, the Hull/Sanderson mint closed after closer royal scrutiny of the operation.
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
label: See more items in
content: Coins
label: See more items in
content: Numismatics
label: See more items in
content: Coins, Currency and Medals
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content: Legendary Coins
label: Exhibition
content: Value of Money
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Zoomable Image and Details
label: Related Publication
content: Feingold, Ellen R.. Value of Money, The
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Emery May Holden Norweb
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: NU.82.48.09
label: catalog number
content: 1982.0798.0009
label: accession number
content: 1982.0798
label: catalog number
content: 82.48.09
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: .1 cm x 2.8 cm; 1/32 in x 1 3/32 in