For over 350 years, the Pine Tree Shilling has fascinated numismatists and historians alike. Struck in Massachusetts while the Thirteen Colonies were still under British rule, this silver coin was one of several struck to fill the currency shortage. The most fascinating part of the Pine Tree Shilling is possibly its revival as a tool to ward off witches in the late 1690s.
Though the United States has long held its status as a sovereign nation and global superpower, the country originated as 13 colonies governed by the British Crown for nearly two centuries. The Pine Tree Shilling, first struck over 350 years ago around 1670, allows us to venture into the past and take a deeper look at our nation’s origins.