1787 CT 1/2P Draped Bust Left - FNDE Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Displaying the reverse legend error FNDE instead of the correct INDE (from INDE ET LIB, abbreviating "Independence and Liberty"), this 1787 Connecticut copper half penny documents a die sinker's substitution of the letter F for the intended I at the beginning of the word. Struck in copper at approximately 6.8 grams with a 28.5 mm diameter and plain edge, the coin features a draped bust facing left with AUCTORI CONNEC on the obverse and a seated Liberty with the blundered FNDE ET LIB legend on the reverse. Cataloged as Miller 33.8-Z.14 and Whitman 2995, with PCGS #388, this variety is classified as moderately scarce. The FNDE error is notable as one of the less common reverse legend blunders — most Connecticut copper legend errors occur on the obverse AUCTORI CONNEC inscription, making reverse errors like FNDE proportionally less frequently encountered. This rarity within a rarity adds an extra dimension of collector interest. The Miller 33-series obverse dies, with which this reverse is paired, are associated with a particularly error-prone group of Connecticut copper dies, and the pairing of a 33-series obverse with a blundered reverse compounds the evidence that the workshop or engraver responsible for this portion of production operated with less quality control than some contemporaries. Connecticut coppers circulated as small-denomination currency throughout New England, and the legend errors they carry — whether noticed by contemporary users or not — now serve as primary evidence for numismatic historians studying 18th-century die preparation techniques.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce. Reverse legend errors are less common than obverse errors.

Cross References

Miller 33.8-Z.14; Whitman 2995