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Two-cent pieces: the first coin that said IN GOD WE TRUST
The US two-cent piece (1864–1873) is a bronze coin with a shield. It was the first US coin to carry IN GOD WE TRUST. Common 1864–1865 dates are not a fortune. 1864 small motto, 1872, and 1873 (proof only) are the ones we look up.
A two-cent piece is the bronze US coin struck 1864 through 1873. Shield on the front. A 2 and a wreath on the back. It is larger than a modern cent and smaller than a nickel. There is no silver in it.
It is the first US circulating coin to carry IN GOD WE TRUST (1864), after Salmon P. Chase pushed the motto during the Civil War. That fact is why heirs bring one in a Bible box and expect a sermon and a check. The motto is history. The bid is still a two-cent bronze coin.
Common vs the ones we pull
1864 large motto and 1865 are the common dates. 1864 small motto is the variety we stop for. 1872 is scarce in any grade. 1873 is proof-only. Most coffee-can pieces are 1864–1866 with a worn ribbon.
Extra history
The two-cent was a Civil War convenience — small change was hiding, and bronze was cheaper than the old copper large cent. It died when the nickel three-cent and the Shield nickel took over small change. Emergency money. Large cents.
What a shop pays
Common worn dates: a modest type bid. Small motto, 1872, 1873: we look them up. Corroded or holed: little. Don’t clean. Old is not rare.
The same Civil War drawer often has Shield nickels, three-cent nickels, and large cents. Sort bronze from nickel by color and size before anyone quotes a lot price. A two-cent is not a small-cent error and it is not a token with a patriotic shield.
People also ask
Is IN GOD WE TRUST only on this coin? No. It spread to other denominations after 1864. This is just the first.
Are they Civil War tokens? No. Tokens are private. This is a Mint coin with a denomination.
Is 1864 automatically the small motto? No. Large motto is the common 1864. We look at the ribbon words, not the date alone.
More on the coin and money library.
Five cents in the same Civil War drawer: Shield nickels and half dimes.