1785 CT 1/2P Bust Left Half Penny

Coin Details

Auction Record

$8,400 • MS62 BN • 01-2008 • Heritage Auctions

Description

Less common than the bust-right orientation for the 1785 date, this Connecticut copper halfpenny with bust facing left is cataloged across multiple die marriages including Miller 6.1-H, 6.2-H, and related combinations, with Whitman numbers spanning 2400 through 2420. Struck in copper, weighing 7 grams at 28.5 mm diameter with a plain edge, and identified as PCGS #322, it features the mailed bust portrait facing left — a classically inspired profile derived from late Roman imperial coin designs that Connecticut die cutters adapted for the young state's authorized coinage. An auction record of $8,400 for an MS62 BN specimen at Heritage Auctions in January 2008 demonstrates that choice uncirculated examples command strong premiums in a series where most survivors show significant circulation wear. The obverse bears the legend AUCTORI CONNEC (By the Authority of Connecticut) while the reverse displays a seated Liberty figure with the inscription INDE ET LIB (Independence and Liberty). Connecticut authorized copper coinage in October 1785 and contracted production to Samuel Bishop, John Goodrich, and Joseph Hopkins, with actual die cutting and striking performed by Abel Buell and other skilled artisans. The bust-left orientation for 1785 is moderately scarce compared to the more frequently encountered bust-right types, and the multiple Miller die marriages documented for this portrait direction indicate that several different obverse and reverse die pairs were employed during production.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce. Less common than the bust right varieties of 1785.

Cross References

Miller 6.1-H, 6.2-H, and related die marriages; Whitman 2400-2420