"1652" Sixpence Pine Tree - Copper Wyatt Copy Noe-L

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,280 AU50BN 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

A copper copy of the Massachusetts Pine Tree Sixpence produced by James W. Wyatt of London, cataloged as Noe-L in the comprehensive Noe reference for Massachusetts silver coinage and its imitations. The use of copper rather than the original silver composition makes this an obvious reproduction, which was Wyatt's intent to avoid any suggestion of counterfeiting. The original Pine Tree Sixpence was struck at the Hull Mint in Boston, bearing the conventional 1652 date despite production spanning 1667-1682. The sixpence was the middle denomination of the three-coin Pine Tree series and featured the pine tree on the obverse with "VI" (six pence) on the reverse within a beaded border. Wyatt's Noe-L copy reproduces the essential design elements of the Pine Tree Sixpence on a copper flan. The design shows the characteristic pine tree that gave the series its name, though Wyatt's rendering differs in style from the original dies cut by Hull Mint engravers. The copper composition would have made these copies affordable for collectors who wanted representative examples of the famous Pine Tree coinage. Noe's inclusion of Wyatt's copies in his reference work on Massachusetts silver coinage demonstrates the numismatic community's recognition that these 19th-century copies are legitimate collectible items deserving of systematic cataloging. The Noe-L designation remains the standard reference for this particular Wyatt copy.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Copper Wyatt copies are more common than silver versions but remain collectible as documented imitations.

Cross References

Noe-L (Wyatt copy); Noe reference: Massachusetts Silver Coinage; Original: Pine Tree Sixpence 1652 (1667-1682)