1786 CT 1/2P Mailed Bust Left Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Struck during the second year of Connecticut copper production, this 1786 half penny displays a mailed (armored) bust facing left — a portrait style depicting chain mail or armor on the shoulder that distinguishes it from the draped bust varieties found elsewhere in the series. The mailed bust terminology references medieval and Renaissance military armor, and its use on Connecticut coppers may reflect die sinkers' familiarity with British coinage conventions, where armored busts appeared on certain royal portrait coins. The 1786 date represents a transitional year for the Connecticut copper series, during which die sinkers were shifting from predominantly right-facing to predominantly left-facing bust orientations, making the mailed bust left type for 1786 a document of this stylistic evolution. Struck in copper at standard Connecticut copper weight with a 28.5 mm diameter and plain edge, the obverse bears AUCTORI CONNEC and the armored portrait, while the reverse features a seated Liberty with ET LIB INDE. Cataloged as Miller 4.1-G and related die marriages, with Whitman 2530, this variety is classified as moderately scarce. Connecticut's copper coinage was authorized by the state legislature in October 1785, with the initial contract awarded to Samuel Bishop and John Goodrich and subsequently reassigned to various operators. The coexistence of mailed and draped bust types, and right-facing and left-facing orientations, across the 1786 date demonstrates the decentralized nature of die production, where multiple engravers worked simultaneously on Connecticut copper dies using their own stylistic preferences.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce.

Cross References

Miller 4.1-G and related; Whitman 2530