1787 Laughing Head Connecticut NGC AU58 BN. Colonial and Post-Colonial coins are a fascinating and challenging area of numismatics. These intriguing issues originated from a myriad of sources and served to facilitate commerce in the American colonies and later in the fledgling United States of America prior to the issuance of federal coinage. As such, these historic pieces have a well deserved place within the fabric of early American history and are considered by many to be an integral part of a complete and well rounded collection of rare U.S. coins.

The Connecticut copper issues were produced at the state mint near New Haven, CT. Typically struck on crude planchets, more than three dozen varieties are documented bearing dates from 1785-1788 with varying designs.

The example offered here is of the Laughing Head Type and is an extremely choice and scarce piece. The strike and detail are absolutely exceptional and the planchet is well above average compared to those typically seen for the Connecticut issues. The sepia color is rich and even giving the piece magnificent and charming eye appeal. When compared to the plate coin used in the 2010 Red Book (p. 59 of A Guide Book of United States Coins) it is easy to distinguish this piece as being of far superior quality attesting to the difficulty of locating such fine quality within the issue.

With just this one example in grade and one certified higher at NGC, to find another of this quality would be an arduous and virtually impossible task. For the collector assembling a pristine set of historic early American Colonial and Post-Colonial issues or the numismatist who simply admires quality and is searching for a single unique high grade specimen, this coin is a must have. To be sure, another like it will not soon be seen again. NGC Pop = 8/ 1 in grade/ 1 higher.