1/2 Penny - Copper 'Large Head Facing Right'

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.