CHATHAM TWP. — A man who brought an old coin to an appraisal fair at Juniper Village last month walked away with an appraisal of $400,000, if the coin can be authenticated.

The appraisal fair was held on Feb. 28 at Juniper Village at Chatham Assisted Living. It was one of the facility’s frequent free community outreach programs, said Executive Director Joann Malanga. The appraiser was Doug Reeder, an expert art and antique dealer from Warren Township.

“The coin, called the New England Shilling, was actually the first coin struck in North America” in 1652, in the General Court of Massachusetts, Reeder said. There were three denominations struck, three pence, six pence and one shilling coins. “If it were real...it would be worth around $400,000.”

The coin that may be worth $400,000, if authentic, is called the New England Shilling.

Reeder described the coin as “very simple,” with only about 10% of both sides of the coin having anything on them. “Otherwise, it is blank,” he said.

Reeder said he sent the coin’s owner to Peter Doelger in Warren, who runs Doelger’s Gallery of Coins in Warren Township. Doelger, a former president and founder of the Watchung Hills Coin Club, is “one coin dealer all the antique dealers trust … Peter worked with a couple of certification houses to determine if it was authentic,” said Reeder.

The investigation into its authenticity is ongoing, he said, adding “We all want it to be real. It’s great that a coin like that would even show up at a local appraisal session.”

This is the second appraisal fair Reeder worked for Juniper Village. His next appearance will be at Long Hill Community Center, from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, which has become an annual event. "I’ve been doing this for about five years and the place is packed,” he said. It’s so packed, he’s bringing Doug DeFreitas, another appraiser, in to help with appraisals.

Malanga said they’ve had other good finds at their appraisal fairs, but usually items brought in by residents and community members are worth between a few dollars to a few thousand dollars.

Some of the many items presented for appraisal at the appraisal fair held on Feb. 28, at Juniper Village at Chatham Assisted Living.

Reeder owns Elysium Antiques at 25 W. Main St. in Somerville. He’s been appraising antiques for the past 15 years. Asked how he came by his profession, he answered, “I’m just curious. I have a sort of a memory that remembers these sorts of trivia.” He admits to loving history and is the director of Coddington Farmstead, a historic farm in Warren Township on Mt. Horeb Road.

Juniper Village at Chatham is located at 500 Southern Boulevard in Chatham. For more information call 973-966-5483 or visit its website.

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