Owner Comments:
The Massachusetts Oak Tree silver coins were produced by John Hull and Robert Sanderson at the Massachusetts Bay Colony Mint between 1660 and 1667. Denominations include the distinctive 2 pence dated 1662; and the 3 pence, 6 pence, and shilling, all dated 1652.
There are two common explanations as to why nearly all the Massachusetts pieces were dated 1652. Some opine that the date 1652 was chosen because it represented the year the colony's legislature authorized their creation, and was the year coins were first issued. Thus 1652 was an important year to be perpetually commemorated.
Another plausible theory is that almost all coins were dated 1652 because that was a year when there was no reigning king of England to defy. Traditionally, the coining of money was at the sole prerogative of the king. However, in 1649, King Charles I was beheaded for treason, and during the years 1649 - 1660, the interregnum period, there was no king on the throne, (although Oliver Cromwell asserted his considerable influence). This encouraged the Massachusetts Bay Colony's legislature to enact a law authorizing a mint. During normal times, this would have been deemed a blatantly defiant criminal act. Continuing to date all coins 1652 for the next 30 years of the mint's existence, made it appear that all were produced at a time when there was no king. (If this were the case however, it would seem illogical that the legislature would permit any coins to bear the date 1662, as on the Oak Tree 2 Pence, since Charles II had already ascended the throne.)
All Massachusetts silver coinage was purposely produced underweight (containing 22.5% less silver), to discourage their migration out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to other locations.
Pictured above, is a Massachusetts (spelled MASATHVSETS on the coin) Oak Tree 6 Pence distinguished by the word "IN" appearing at the bottom of the obverse. It has been graded XF 45 by PCGS. The piece weighs 32.4 grains, and has been variously categorized as Noe 22, Salmon 2b-B, and W-400. It was acquired from Coin Rarities Online (John Agre) in March of 2026.
The reverse of the Noe 22 6 P features a wide "W" in the word New; a large "L" in England; and the peripheral lettering ANO.
There are 6 known die marriages for the Oak Tree 6 P, designated as either: Noe 15, Noe 16, Noe 17, Noe 18, Noe 19; or Noe 20 to 22.
The varieties identified as Noe 20, 21, and 22 are all from the same physical die pair, in various stages of recutting. Noe 20 is characterized by a normal first "S" in MASATHVSETS, with the letters MA separated. Noe 21 features a thin backward first "S". The Noe 22 recutting restored the first "S" to the proper orientation, but solidly joins the feet of the M and A. Noe 22 is the most commonly seen of the Noe 20 - 22 varieties. The Noe 22 reverse was later paired with a Pine Tree 6 P obverse to strike Noe 32. Noe 22 was likely the final variety struck in the Oak Tree 6 P series. Q. David Bowers notes that Oak Tree 6 P are often seen with problems, such as: bad centering; weakly struck areas; and/or irregular planchets.
The scarce Oak Tree 6 P are typically encountered in grades below AU. PCGS has slabbed a total of 15 of the "IN" obverse variety. NGC has holdered 22. The finest is a MS 66* NGC CAC specimen, which sold for $117,500 on 1/12/2015 at a Heritage auction.