Resolute Americana Assistant Curator Jesse Kraft has examined the silver coinage of the Massachusetts Bay Colony issued between 1652 and 1682. Click here for the one-hour video of his presentation posted on July 26, 2024 by the American Numismatic Society.

Numismatic Society President Dr. Gilles Bransbourg introduces Jesse Karft for a one-hour presentation that begins by looking at specifics regarding the founding of the mint, the circulation of the coinage, and reasons why it closed, including the Potosi mint fraud of 1649.

The first mint in Massachusetts was located in Boston and was run by Mintmaster John Hull and his assistant Robert Saunderson. The first Massachusetts silver coin designs were simplistic with one side punched with a small NE for New England and the other side punched with the coin’s denomination in Roman numerals. 

The coins came at an interesting time in both English history and broader global economic issues, and were no longer minted at an especially chaotic time in Massachusetts history.