A rare coin that was made in colonial New England was recently found in a candy tin box among others. It was then sold at an auction for?more than $350,000 (Rs, 2.62 Crores).
According to the auctioneer, it was much more than expected.?
The one shilling silver coin was made in Boston in 1652. It is considered the finest example of just a few dozen such coins which still do exist. This rare coin was sold to an anonymous online bidder from the U.S., London-based Morton & Eden Ltd. said in a statement.
The auctioneer had expected it to sell for about $300,000 (Rs 2.2 crores)
Coin specialist James Morton said in a statement, ¡°I am not surprised at the amount of interest this exceptional coin attracted. The price paid, which was above estimate, reflects its extraordinary historic significance and outstanding original state of preservation.¡±
Coins from England, the Netherlands, the Spanish Empire and other nations were used as currency in New England before 1652. However, after a shortage of coins, the Massachusetts General Court appoint John Hull as Boston mintmaster, responsible for producing North America¡¯s first silver coins. The mint, considered treasonous by King Charles II, was shut down in 1682, according to the auctioneer.?
This very simple coin has the initials NE for New England on one side, and the Roman numeral XII, representing the 12 pennies in a shilling, on the other.??
The coin was provided for auction by Wentworth ¡°Wenty¡± Beaumont, whose father found it recently in a candy tin containing hundreds of old coins in his study at his family¡¯s estate in England.??
Beaumont is a descendant of William Wentworth, an early settler of New England.?Beaumont speculated that an ancestor brought the coin to the U.K. from the colonies.
How exciting, indeed!?
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