Colonial coin?

Question

im looking at a 1652 pine tree coinage on line to buy. It is a great deal, but it looks a little different than in my coin blue book. Do u think they made them looking a little different everytime they made them, they had to do it by hand. Should i buy it? thank you.

Answer 1

First, yes, each coin varied in striking, and there were also significant variations between the different dies used to strike these.  (John Hull, who struck these coins, had multiple dies, as he could switch to a new die when an old one cracked, chipped, or broke.)  Here are photos of some of the known varieties of the Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling, Sixpence, and Threepence:

http://www.coinfacts.com/colonial_coins/...

Second, there are a myriad of replicas or copies of this coin.  An example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Massachusetts-Pine-T...

Here's one expert's suggestions about how to tell replicas from originals, including a recommendation of certification agencies like NGC:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Coin-Collecti...

This discussion suggests that "Statistically, the odds are pretty good that [one might encounter] either a contemporary counterfeit, or even more probably a replica," and gives some additional suggestions on identifying genuine coins:

http://www.cointalk.org/showthread.php?p...

In brief, if you're being offered the coin at a price far below typical valuation, the odds are high that it's a replica.  If the online dealer or seller doesn't say anything about its status as a genuine article or replica, you can a) take a chance on it, knowing that you may end up with only a curio (if that's OK with you), b) ask them to have the coin certified by a reputable certification company (e.g. NGC, PCGS, ANACS) before you buy it, or c) make sure that you understand under what terms you can return it if you find that it's not genuine.

Finally, here's some of the history of these coins.  (You'll need to read about half-way down this long page, or just search in your browser for "John Hull".)

http://forums.collectors.com/messageview...

Answer 2

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