Description

From a practical standpoint, the two-cent piece was one of the least successful coins in U.S. history: The United States Mint produced it for only ten years (for circulation from 1864 to 1872 and for collectors in 1873), and each year the mintage declined, reflecting steadily falling public interest in the coin. Yet, despite its failure as a medium of exchange, the two-cent piece made a singular and enduring contribution to the nation’s coinage history, for this was the coin that introduced the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. The motto and the coin itself were both direct results of the Civil War.

Although it is unusually short and doesn’t include a single branch mint issue, the two-cent series does contain some interesting varieties. The best known are the Small Motto and Large Motto issues of 1864. On some of that year’s two-cent pieces, IN GOD WE TRUST has noticeably smaller and fatter lettering. These Small Motto pieces are considerably scarcer than their Large Motto counterparts and command much higher premiums in every grade level. There also is a scarce and valuable 1867 doubled-die error, and the proof-only 1873 issues come in two varieties, with a Closed 3 and an Open 3 in the date.