Shilling 1662 - 1684

This is a Pine Tree Shilling, crafted by John Hull in the 17th century, during a time when the Massachusetts Bay Colony operated with significant autonomy, including the coining of its own money. Hull was a silversmith and mint master, a man of trade but also a figure deeply embedded in the socio-religious fabric of early colonial America; he was the son of prominent colonists and was married to the daughter of a governor. This coin, small as it is, reflects the economic and political assertion of the colony. The image of the pine tree is rooted in the local landscape. Consider how the act of minting currency was not just a financial decision, but also a statement of identity, a defiant emblem of self-governance amidst the looming presence of the British Crown. It reminds us of the tangible ways in which communities define their own worth and navigate the complexities of power and belonging.