massachusetts-bay-colony-1652-item

Historical Context

Issued by the Massachusetts Bay Colony without direct royal authority. All Pine Tree Shillings bear the date 1652, regardless of their actual minting year (which spanned from approximately 1667 to 1682), to avoid charges of treason by the English Crown. This was a strategic move during the English Civil War and Commonwealth period, asserting the colony's right to mint its own currency. It followed earlier 'NE' and 'Willow Tree' shilling designs.