Catalog
1/2 Penny - Copper 'Large Head Facing Right'
| Issuer | Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Year | 1786 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Large draped bust facing right, depicting a laureate head with flowing hair tied with a ribbon at the nape, rendered in a bold, somewhat crude provincial style characteristic of Connecticut coppers. The truncation of the bust is visible at the lower field. The encircling Latin legend reads AUCTORI: CONNEC:, divided on either side of the effigy, with a beaded or serrated border running along the coin's periphery. |
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| Mintage | 1786 |
| Additional information |
Connecticut began authorizing copper coinage in October 1785, contracting with private minters rather than operating a state facility. By 1786, at least three different contracting operations were producing coins under the state's authority, which accounts for the extraordinary proliferation of die varieties from this period — over 350 documented for Connecticut coppers as a whole. The "Large Head Facing Right" designation distinguishes this die grouping within that sprawling series.
These coins circulated alongside a chaotic mix of foreign, counterfeit, and other state coppers. Massachusetts had passed legislation rejecting underweight coppers just months prior, pushing more debased pieces into neighboring circulation networks.