Heritage Auctions will offer a 1652 Massachusetts Bay pine tree shilling in its April 4-6 sale in Dallas.

The English colonists arrived in Massachusetts Bay in 1628, where they established a bustling township – setting up trade links with Britain and the Caribbean.

Massachusetts Bay was the most powerful British colony in New England

The colony became so successful that it soon ran out of money. Like most early American colonies it was reliant on European coinage.

In 1652, it set up a mint to produce its own currency.

The earliest issues were much simpler than the one shown here, displaying just the letters NE on one side and the denomination on the other.

Later examples display greater complexity as the skill of the engravers developed.

While the coin is dated 1652, this does not correlate to the year it was minted. Coins were produced in Massachusetts Bay between 1652 and 1675, but all display the year the mint was established.

Bidding stands at $21,150 ahead of the sale of the MS64-graded coin.

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