Two Cent Piece (1864-1873)
Mint Mark Information

As the American Civil War entered its third year in 1863, coinage remained scarce in circulation, as much of the public hoarded hard currency as a form of financial security during those difficult times.

In place of US coinage, bronze one cent tokens issued by private means filled the needs of daily commerce. The bronze tokens circulated freely because their metallic content was worth far less than face value, negating the incentive to hoard.

US Mint officials observed this and decided the government should issue bronze coinage of its own to improve pocket change availability. The Act of April 22, 1864 provided a bronze cent composed of 95% copper. The same law also paved the way for the bronze Two Cent piece.

The first Two Cent pieces were issued in 1864. The design is notable in that it was the first use of the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on a United States coin struck for general circulation. The motto was chosen as a reflection of an increasing reliance upon the Almighty by the nation as a whole as the battlefield casualties continued to mount.

The Mint was confident the odd two cent denomination would be widely utilized, but the opposite occurred. After a mintage of nearly 20 million in 1864, production steadily declined, dwindling to only 65,000 in 1872.

The last year of the Two Cent piece was 1873, when 1100 Proof examples were coined for collector sets.

Two Cent Piece Obverse

Two Cent Piece Reverse

The following table confirms there are no Mint Marks on the Two Cent Piece:

All Two Cent Pieces were struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which did not use a Mint Mark until 1942. The Two Cent coin is shown at right, with images borrowed from Goldberg Coins of Beverly Hills, CA.

There are three key date Two Cent coins produced during its short lifespan. These particular coins have demonstrated a better than average rate of price increases over a very long time, and are the most likely dates in the series to do the same in future years.

The reason is simple: pressure from coin collectors. As usual, supply and demand are the driving factors.

The Two Cent dates to watch out for are: 1864 (Small Motto), 1872, and 1873 (any variety). As is the case with copper coins, full RED mint luster is much less common and more appealing to collectors. Your best bet is to find a flaming RED example certified as such by one of the leading coin certification companies: PCGS, NGC, ICG, or ANACS.

To help you find certified examples of the Two Cent key dates, we set up windows to eBay below. Click the "View All" link to isolate these coins currently offered on eBay.

1864 Two Cent (Small Motto)

1872 Two Cent

1873 Two Cent