1652 New England 3 Pence?

When it goes to "live" bidding is when it gets interesting. The last couple of live bidders will have the most interest and the remaining deepest pockets. It'll be interesting where it ends up.

This thing is gonna go well into the millions, if we get an update every 5 grand it will be a very long thread indeed.

Just received my issue of the latest C4 Newsletter, that's the Colonial Coin Collectors Club for those that aren't aware of what the C4 is.

The N.E. 3 pence is featured on the front page with the N.E. 6 pence from the ex-Roper collection, and the inside cover has a Stack's/Bowers ad with a huge photo of the 3 pence coin and the title of "The most important colonial numismatic discovery of our lifetime" to kick off their Showcase Auction featuring it.

The article covers a very in-depth scientific study of the composition of the planchet of the the ex-Roper six pence which is another N.E. silver coin that has been surrounded in controversy since it was pulled from the Heritage Auction in August of 2022 due to the finding of 2 previously hidden plugs on the coin. Discussing the study on the plugs which the 6 pence has, and the reasoning behind them, along with a reasonable conclusion it was all done at Hull and Sanderson's Massachusetts mint. A well-researched article.

It is my opinion the quality of both the C4 newsletter and the ANS' Journal of Early American Coinage (JEAN) is enough reason alone to join both groups. Make it 3 clubs with the Early American Coppers Group and their legendary research journal "Pennywise" Any serious United States Numismatist with a curiosity of how our coinage was formed and created should already be a member, what's holding you up? Join today!

I hope whomever wins this wonderful and historical coin will continue to share it with the numismatic community at large rather than leave it locked up in a vault somewhere for aeons.

It would be great if it were made out on loan to an appropriate museum as is done with other great works of art.

If I read this all correctly, sadly the holder has gone missing. I imagine whoever buys this coin would have great interest in the holder given that it stated "From Quincy Family" along with the reference to Boston, MA.

What is amazing to me is the reference found in the 1781 note from John Adams to Abigail requesting she send half a dozen coins to him while he was in the Netherlands. Atlantic transit time was about 6-10 weeks at that time, warp speed compared to the authentication journey of this coin!

Curious who dug up that reference and how long did it take to find it? Hopefully someday someone will be able to provide more details on the experts involved and the research conducted that led to the final authentication.

Can't wait to see the final auction results!

I guessed that maybe while the coin was awaiting confirmation, possibly during the mess of the Covid period, the holder got put away somehow and now the place that is supposed to have it doesn't know where it is. The auction listing says "lost" and I suspect that's a literal description - i.e. that it got misplaced somewhere during Covid packing.

But I hadn't thought of the "sold privately" option and now it's looking increasingly plausible.


Alas, the coins asked for by John Adams were supposed to be shillings (far more common, though still very rare). There is no mention of any lower denominations in those quotes.