1652 年美國銀幣在拍賣會上以創紀錄的 252 萬美元成交

這枚三便士硬幣是在當時的英國殖民地第一家鑄幣廠開業幾週後在波士頓鑄造的。

A rare American silver coin dating back to the 17th century, before the United States was even founded, has sold for a record-breaking $2.52 million at auction.

一枚稀有的美國銀幣，其歷史可以追溯到 17 世紀，甚至在美國建國之前，在拍賣會上以 252 萬美元的破紀錄價格售出。

The coin was discovered in an old cabinet in Amsterdam in 2016, and its owner was initially unaware of its historical significance.

這枚硬幣於 2016 年在阿姆斯特丹的舊櫃子中被發現，其主人最初並不知道它的歷史意義。

The pasteboard box containing the coin was labeled “Silver token unknown / From Quincy Family / B. Ma. Dec, 1798.”

裝有硬幣的紙板箱上貼著「銀幣未知/來自昆西家族/B. Ma」的標籤。 1798 年 12 月。

However, after extensive research, testing, analysis, and comparison with another surviving specimen, the coin’s true value was finally identified and verified by the PCGS, an independent body that grades rare coins.

然而，經過廣泛的研究、測試、分析以及與另一個倖存樣本的比較，這枚硬幣的真實價值最終得到了 PCGS（一個對稀有硬幣進行評級的獨立機構）的鑑定和驗證。

The threepence coin was struck in 1652 in Boston, just weeks after the first mint in the then-British colony had opened, according to a statement released Monday by Stack’s Bowers Galleries, which handled the sale.

根據負責此次拍賣的 Stack's Bowers Galleries 週一發布的聲明，這枚三便士硬幣於 1652 年在波士頓鑄造，當時的英國殖民地第一座鑄幣廠剛開業幾週後。

Although the coin is only about the size of a nickel and has a silver value of just $1.03 on today’s market, its age and ties to American history have made it the most expensive non-gold US coin struck before the founding of the United States Mint, the auction house added.

儘管這枚硬幣只有鎳幣大小，在當今市場上的銀價僅為 1.03 美元，但它的年代和與美國歷史的聯繫使其成為美國造幣廠成立之前鑄造的最昂貴的非金幣，拍賣行補充道。

When the note attached to the coin was written in 1798, coins made at the Boston Mint in 1652 had already become a prized possession for collectors.

當 1798 年在硬幣上書寫紙幣時，1652 年波士頓造幣廠鑄造的硬幣已經成為收藏家的珍貴收藏品。

Distinguishable by their simple NE stamp representing New England on one side and their value in pence in Roman numerals on the other, these coins were already extremely rare since they were likely only made in this style for a few months that year.

這些硬幣的一側是代表新英格蘭的簡單 NE 印記，另一側是羅馬數字的便士價值，這些硬幣已經非常罕見，因為它們可能只在當年的幾個月中以這種風格製造。

The Boston Mint had defied the British crown’s authority to produce coins, representing New England’s “growing sense of identity as separate from the mother country and its determination to regulate its own economy,” according to the Massachusetts Historical Society.

麻州歷史學會表示，波士頓造幣廠藐視英國王室鑄造硬幣的權威，代表新英格蘭「日益增強的獨立於母國的認同感及其規範自身經濟的決心」。

After the American Revolution, the coins it had produced became vogue even in England.

美國革命後，它生產的硬幣甚至在英國也變得流行。

English collector Thomas Brand Hollis wrote to then-American ambassador to the Netherlands John Adams in 1781, asking for help in sourcing one of these coins.

1781 年，英國收藏家托馬斯·布蘭德·霍利斯 (Thomas Brand Hollis) 寫信給當時的美國駐荷蘭大使約翰·亞當斯 (John Adams)，請求幫助購買其中一枚硬幣。

In turn, Adams wrote to ask his wife, Abigail, for help since her great-grandfather had been the stepbrother of John Hull, the silversmith who minted these coins.

反過來，亞當斯寫信向他的妻子阿比蓋爾尋求幫助，因為她的曾祖父是鑄造這些硬幣的銀匠約翰·赫爾的繼兄弟。

Just one other threepence coin of this type is known to have survived to the present day and is in the collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society, making this specimen the only one available to private collectors.

據了解，目前只有一枚這種類型的三便士硬幣倖存下來，並由馬薩諸塞州歷史學會收藏，這使得該樣本成為唯一可供私人收藏家使用的樣本。

Another coin is perhaps still in existence after it was stolen from Yale College sometime before the 1960s, although its whereabouts are unknown.

另一枚硬幣可能仍然存在，它在 20 世紀 60 年代之前的某個時候從耶魯大學被盜，但下落不明。

This coin was subject to an intense, 12-minute bidding battle that auctioneer Ben Orooji called “an exhilarating ride and a career highlight,” as it fetched more than three times its presale estimates.

這枚硬幣經歷了一場長達12 分鐘的激烈競拍，拍賣師本·奧魯吉(Ben Orooji) 稱其為“一次令人興奮的旅程和職業生涯的亮點”，因為它的成交價是預售估價的三倍多。

Other historic US coins have fetched vast sums at auction too. A rare 1794 silver dollar, believed to be one of the first – if not the first – made by the US mint, sold for $10 million in 2013.

其他具有歷史意義的美國硬幣也在拍賣會上拍出了巨款。一枚罕見的 1794 年銀元於 2013 年以 1,000 萬美元的價格售出，被認為是美國造幣廠鑄造的第一枚（如果不是第一枚）銀元之一。

Meanwhile, a rare 1933 “Double Eagle” coin, one of the last gold coins ever struck for circulation in the US, sold for $18.9 million in 2021.

同時，一枚罕見的 1933 年「雙鷹」硬幣在 2021 年以 1,890 萬美元的價格售出，這是美國最後鑄造流通的金幣之一。