罕见的 Rebellious 硬币以创纪录的 252 万美元成交

三便士银币是在 1652 年殖民地铸币厂开业几周后在波士顿铸造的，而这距离十三个殖民地宣布脱离英国独立还有一个多世纪。

A rare silver threepence coin minted in Boston just weeks after the opening of the colonial mint in 1652 has sold for a record-setting $2.52 million.

1652 年殖民地造币厂开业几周后，一枚在波士顿铸造的稀有三便士银币以创纪录的 252 万美元成交。

The coin, which is about the size of a nickel, was discovered in a cabinet in the Netherlands in 2016, according to a statement from Stack’s Bowers Galleries, the auction house that sold the coin on November 19.

根据 11 月 19 日出售这枚硬币的 Stack's Bowers Galleries 拍卖行的一份声明，这枚硬币大小约为 5 分镍币，于 2016 年在荷兰的一个柜子中被发现。

It was found in a pasteboard box with a note that read: “Silver token unknown / From Quincy Family / B. Ma. Dec, 1798,” CNN’s Issy Ronald reports.

它被发现在一个纸板盒中，上面有一张纸条，上面写着：“银币未知/来自昆西家族/B. Ma。 1798 年 12 月，CNN 的伊西·罗纳德 (Issy Ronald) 报道。

The coin was sold as part of the Bowers Brand Rarities Part II auction, which featured “important numismatic rarities from the colonial era through the 20th century,” according to the auction house.

据拍卖行称，这枚硬币是 Bowers Brand Rarities Part II 拍卖会的一部分，该拍卖会的特色是“从殖民时代到 20 世纪的重要钱币珍品”。

One side of the coin bears a simple “NE” stamp to signify New England. The other side denotes its value in Roman numerals. It weighs just 1.1 grams, giving it a silver melt value of just $1.03.

硬币的一面刻有简单的“NE”印记，代表新英格兰。另一边用罗马数字表示其值。它的重量仅为 1.1 克，银的熔化价值仅为 1.03 美元。

The Boston mint likely only made coins in this style for a few months. Most have been lost to history, so private collectors rarely have an opportunity to buy one.

波士顿造币厂可能只生产这种风格的硬币几个月。大多数都已消失在历史中，因此私人收藏家很少有机会购买一件。

“This is one of the most important coins in all of American numismatics,” Stephanie Sabin, president of Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), told Numismatic News’ Richard Giedroyc ahead of the auction. “The discovery of this outstanding specimen, tracing back to Boston’s historic Quincy family, means this national treasure is available for ownership by private numismatists for the first time in generations.”

“这是美国钱币学领域最重要的硬币之一，”专业钱币评级服务 (PCGS) 总裁斯蒂芬妮·萨宾 (Stephanie Sabin) 在拍卖前告诉钱币新闻的理查德·吉德罗伊克 (Richard Giedroyc)。 “这一杰出标本的发现可以追溯到波士顿历史悠久的昆西家族，这意味着这一国宝几代人以来首次可供私人钱币学家拥有。”

The company, which grades rare coins, conducted extensive research and testing to learn more about the coin. They confirmed its ties to the Quincy family, which included first lady Abigail Adams.

该公司对稀有硬币进行评级，进行了广泛的研究和测试，以了解有关硬币的更多信息。他们证实了它与昆西家族的联系，其中包括第一夫人阿比盖尔·亚当斯。

In 1781, English coin collector Thomas Brand Hollis asked future president John Adams, then the American ambassador to the Netherlands, if he could help him acquire coins minted in New England, according to the auction house.

据拍卖行称，1781 年，英国钱币收藏家托马斯·布兰德·霍利斯 (Thomas Brand Hollis) 询问未来的总统、时任美国驻荷兰大使约翰·亚当斯 (John Adams) 是否可以帮助他购买在新英格兰铸造的硬币。

Adams wrote to his wife and asked her to ship him “a few of the New England shillings. Pray send me half a dozen if you can procure them by different occasions.”

亚当斯写信给他的妻子，请她寄给他“一些新英格兰先令”。如果你能在不同的场合买到的话，请给我寄六打。”

It’s not clear if the recently auctioned threepence was among those Adams sent across the Atlantic Ocean, but “the connection appears likely,” according to the auction house.

目前还不清楚最近拍卖的三便士是否是亚当斯跨越大西洋寄出的硬币之一，但据拍卖行称，“这种联系似乎很可能存在”。

Historians know the location of just one other New England threepence. It’s been in the Massachusetts Historical Society’s collection for the past 120 years, but it has a hole in it, according to the auction house.

历史学家只知道另外一枚新英格兰三便士的位置。过去 120 年来，它一直是马萨诸塞州历史学会的藏品，但据拍卖行称，里面有一个漏洞。

Yale University used to have one in its collection, but that coin was lost sometime before the middle of the 20th century.

耶鲁大学曾经收藏过一枚硬币，但这枚硬币在 20 世纪中叶之前的某个时候丢失了。

The Boston Mint was run by two settlers, John Hull and Robert Sanderson. (Abigail’s great-grandfather was Hull’s stepbrother.)

波士顿造币厂由两位定居者约翰·赫尔和罗伯特·桑德森经营。 （阿比盖尔的曾祖父是赫尔的继兄弟。）

Boston authorities permitted Hull and Sanderson to set up the facility because the commercially successfully Massachusetts Bay Colony needed cash, according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

据史密森尼美国国家历史博物馆称，波士顿当局允许赫尔和桑德森建立该设施，因为商业成功的马萨诸塞湾殖民地需要现金。

“An inadequate supply of money put [the colony’s] future development in jeopardy,” the museum notes. “England was not inclined to send gold and silver coins to the colonies, for they were in short supply in the mother country.”

“资金供应不足使[殖民地]的未来发展陷入危险，”博物馆指出。 “英国不愿意向殖民地送金银币，因为它们在母国供应短缺。”

In addition to silver threepences, the Boston mint also made sixpences and shillings in four different designs between 1652 and 1682.

除了三便士银币外，波士顿造币厂还在 1652 年至 1682 年间铸造了四种不同设计的六便士和先令。

The coins were used as currency not just in Massachusetts, but throughout the Northeast. The most famous and abundant are the pine tree shillings, which featured the image of one of the colony’s biggest exports: pine lumber for ships.

这些硬币不仅在马萨诸塞州而且在整个东北部都被用作货币。最著名和最丰富的是松树先令，它的图案是殖民地最大的出口产品之一：用于船舶的松木木材。

All of the coins made at the mint bore the same year, 1652, even if they were made later. Why? That year was in the middle of the Interregnum, a period when Britain was a republic without a king.

造币厂铸造的所有硬币均刻有同一年份，即 1652 年，即使是较晚铸造的。为什么？那一年正值空位期中期，英国是一个没有国王的共和国。

“In theory, these colonists had no right to strike their own coins, no matter how great their need,” the museum states. “The people in Massachusetts may have cleverly decided to put that date on their coinage so that they could deny any illegality when and if the monarchy were re-established.”

“理论上，这些殖民者无权铸造自己的硬币，无论他们的需求有多大，”博物馆表示。 “马萨诸塞州的人民可能聪明地决定将这个日期印在他们的硬币上，这样他们就可以在君主制重新建立时否认任何非法行为。”

Eventually, the monarchy was re-established, with Charles II becoming king in 1660. The mint closed in 1682 “after closer royal scrutiny of the operation,” according to the museum.

最终，君主制得以重建，查理二世于 1660 年成为国王。据博物馆称，“在皇家对运作进行更严格的审查后”，造币厂于 1682 年关闭。

The coin’s $2.52 million sale price set a new world record for an American coin made before the American Revolution, according to Stack’s Bowers Galleries. (The previous record holder sold for $646,250.)

据 Stack's Bowers Galleries 称，这枚硬币的售价为 252 万美元，创下了美国独立战争前制造的美国硬币的新世界纪录。 （之前的纪录保持者售价为 646,250 美元。）

It also set a record for a non-gold United States coin struck before the founding of the U.S. Mint, the auction house says in a statement.

该拍卖行在一份声明中表示，这还创下了美国造币厂成立之前铸造的美国非金币的纪录。