1788 CT 1/2P Draped Bust Left - CONNLC Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Carrying the Miller 16.1-D.1 die combination and Whitman 3205 catalog number, this 1788 Connecticut copper half penny features the blundered obverse legend CONNLC — a garbled abbreviation of CONNECTICUT that omits or transposes letters from the intended state name. Legend errors are a hallmark of Connecticut's contract copper coinage, produced by private minters operating under the legislative authorization granted in October 1785, where speed and profit incentives took precedence over epigraphic precision. The obverse portrays a draped bust facing left, a style found across multiple die varieties of the 1787-1788 Connecticut copper issues and attributed to several different die sinkers whose identities remain subjects of scholarly debate. The reverse carries a seated Liberty figure with the legend INDE ET LIB (Independence and Liberty), the standard reverse type for Connecticut coppers. Struck in copper, the coin weighs approximately 6.8 grams with a 28.5 mm diameter and plain edge. Cataloged as PCGS #412. Classified as a moderately scarce legend error, the CONNLC blunder occupies a middle tier among Connecticut legend varieties — less dramatic than the completely nonsensical inscriptions found on some issues, but more distinctive than subtle letter spacing errors. Collectors of Connecticut coppers pursue these legend blunders as a distinct specialty within the broader colonial copper field, assembling sets organized by the nature and severity of the epigraphic mistakes.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce legend error.

Cross References

Miller 16.1-D.1; Whitman 3205