A highlight of The Henry P. Kendall Foundation Collection, which brought more than $9.5 million when offered at Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ March 26 auction in Baltimore, was his collection of early Massachusetts silver coins.

As John Kraljevich Jr. wrote in the introduction to the catalog, with many great collections like the Kendall Foundation’s coming to market recently, “Collectors have an opportunity in the present to acquire an array of Massachusetts silver coins that would have been unimaginable in most markets since the Civil War.”

Here is one of three that caught my eye.

The Coin 

1652 Oak Tree shilling, AU-58 CAC

The Price 

$35,250

The Story 

From an attractiveness perspective, a standout from the Kendall Collection is this 1652 Oak Tree shilling graded About Uncirculated 58 by Professional Coin Grading Service, with a green Certified Acceptance Corp. sticker indicating quality within the grade, that sold for $35,250. 

Categorized as Noe 9 and Salmon 7-Ei in the standard reference books on the series, it is considered the finest known example, with Stack’s Bowers noting, “Superb frosty luster is retained on both sides, each fully original in appearance and beautifully toned medium gray with traces of blue, gold, and rose in recesses,” before concluding that it is “about as well preserved as one could hope a specimen of this design type or variety to be, natural and beautiful, a coin that will meet any connoisseur’s taste.”

For a perspective on value, the description compares the piece to a different example of the same die marriage offered back in 2005 as part of the Stack’s Ford XII sale that brought $46,000, although the firm characterizes the present example as even finer. 

Keep reading this Market Analysis: 

Cut 1652 shilling offers collectors value, historical perspective

Final Kendall Collection shilling is a common variety with not-so-common features