FLOAT
Massachusetts Willow Tree shilling, dated 1652 (struck c. 1653-1660) — the National Museum of American History's exhibited example, not the NGC VF35 Salmon 2-A specimen the FLOAT constituent is priced on.
Photo: Daderot (CC0); National Museum of American History exhibit

1652 Willow Tree Shilling

Maker
Massachusetts Bay Colony (Boston mint, John Hull)
Year
1652 (struck c.1653-60)
Rank
71 of 100

1652 Willow Tree Shilling

1652 Willow Tree Shilling by Massachusetts Bay Colony (Boston mint, John Hull) (1652 (struck c.1653-60)) is ranked 71 in the FLOAT 100 for Coins. It sold for $156,000 in August 2022. The earliest and rarest of the Massachusetts tree-coinage shillings — the crude Willow Tree precedes the Oak and Pine Tree types.

What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?

The earliest and rarest of the Massachusetts tree-coinage shillings — the crude Willow Tree precedes the Oak and Pine Tree types.

Massachusetts silver shilling, Willow Tree, Salmon/Noe variety, NGC VF35

What is the best-sourced number for it?

Figure
$156,000
Kind
Realized at auction
Date
August 2022

Heritage Auctions, August 2022. A 1652 Willow Tree Shilling (Salmon 2-A), NGC VF35, realized $156,000. The rarest of the Massachusetts tree-coinage shillings.

This is a realized sale. Somebody paid it. Source.

How this is made

The figure
One reference price, taken from a named public source and shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
Realized or not
A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
Why no grade ladder
Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
Archive
2026-08-08