A shilling that was part of a private issue by Lord Baltimore will provide the highlight of Dix Noonan Webb's The Coins of the United States of America auction on November 20 in London.
 Calvert believed that his Royal Charter allowed him to issue his own coinage, but was mistaken and subsequently arrested |
The shilling was produced in 1659 under Cecil Calvert (1605-1675), the second Lord Baltimore, who inherited the land that is now known as Maryland. It is valued at £7,000-8,000 ($11,280-12,892) and will be joined by more coins privatly issued in the American colonies.
Calvert believed that his Royal Charter from Britain permitted him to strike coins. The coins were necessary to help bolster Maryland's economy, as Britain was unwilling to send gold or silver to the colony due to a shortage.
However, Calvert was soon arrested and most of his coins and minting equipment was taken by authorities. Very few examples survive today.
 The people of Massachusetts took advantage of the English civil war, using the lack of a king as an opportunity to mint their own coins |
Also starring in the sale is a group of Massachusetts Pine and Oak Tree coinage, which was produced in similar circumstances to the Baltimore shillings. Having received no support from England, the authorities in Boston permitted John Hull and Robert Sanderson to construct a mint in 1652.
All of the coins issued from the Massachusetts Bay mint are dated 1652, though it is likely that production did not begin until 1670.
It is thought that the coins were issued with this date as there was no king on the throne in England in 1652 (the country had become a commonwealth following the English civil war), and therefore the mint could avoid being charged should it come under royal scrutiny in the future - the production of coinage was strictly reserved for the king.
Leading the group is a shilling from the issue, rated good very fine, which is estimated at £4,500-5,000 ($7,451-8,057).
Early United States coins formed the highlight of Heritage Auctions' anticipated sale of the Eric P Newman collection on November 15-16, with the finest certified 1796 quarter selling for $1.5m.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a magnificent selection of coins for sale, including this exceptional example minted in a besieged city during the English civil war.
