Oak Tree Noe Imitations

About This Coin

Cataloged by Sydney P. Noe — the American Numismatic Society curator whose scholarly work on Massachusetts colonial silver coinage established the standard reference framework — these imitations of Oak Tree coinage are distinguished from other copies and fantasies by their specific documentation within Noe's classification system. Noe's 1947 reference work on the Oak Tree and Pine Tree coinage provided not only the definitive die study of genuine Massachusetts silver coins but also identified and cataloged the various imitations, copies, and fantasies that had entered collections alongside authentic specimens. The Oak Tree Noe Imitations reproduce the design elements of the genuine Oak Tree coinage issued by the Massachusetts Bay Colony between approximately 1660 and 1667: the spreading oak tree on the obverse with the MASATHVSETS IN inscription, and the denomination and date (always 1652) within double-ring legends on the reverse. These imitations were produced at various points during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and Noe's classification distinguishes them from the original Massachusetts mint products through analysis of die characteristics, metal composition, fabric, and manufacturing technique. The presence of Noe catalog numbers for specific imitation types provides collectors with an attribution framework that elevates these pieces from anonymous fakes to documented numismatic artifacts with their own collecting identity and reference literature. The Oak Tree design itself — depicting a broad, spreading deciduous tree that symbolized the Connecticut Charter Oak legend as much as Massachusetts colonial identity — carries powerful historical associations that sustain collector interest across the entire spectrum of genuine coins, copies, and imitations. Notable auction results reaching four figures for choice examples of Noe-cataloged imitations confirm that the market values these pieces as significant collectibles within the Colonial Restrikes and Fantasies classification, particularly when accompanied by provenance documentation tracing their collection history.