'In God We Trust' - The Story of the Two Cent Piece

While many believe that the Two Cent piece was a direct outgrowth of the nation's coinage needs during the Civil War, the idea for a two cent coin actually predated the Civil War by many years. As early as 1806, proposals for a two cent coin struck in billon (an alloy of mostly copper with a small amount of silver) circulated in Congress. The ease with which billon coins could be "counterfeited" quickly put an end to this idea. Again, in 1836, another proposal was made and various tests were made to the alloy by Christian Gobrecht and Franklin Peale. The conclusion was similar, and the idea for a small denomination coin struck in billon died a second time.

In late 1863, Mint Director James Pollock recommended to Secretary Salmon Chase a 2¢ coin, this time, struck in "French Bronze," which was composed of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc. Two designs were submitted – one featuring the head of George Washington, and the other using a large shield as the main obverse device.

The original inscription on the ribbon above the shield read "God Our Trust" but Chase preferred "In God We Trust" and with these changes, the coinage was authorized on April 22, 1864. This marked the first appearance of "In God We Trust" on U.S. coinage, and the motto was added to the nation's larger silver coins two years later. The earliest pieces, struck from prototype dies, showed the motto in small letters, but the subsequent strikes from regular dies employed larger letters in the motto.

A pattern design for the Two Cent Piece featuring George Washington.

A second pattern design, this showing the original motto: "God Our Trust."

Due to the shortage of small change during the Civil War, the Two Cent piece was initially popular and circulated widely. However, as the shortage eased after the war and the supply of small cents and five cent nickel coins increased, demand for the two cent coin waned, and by the early 1870s, mintages had dwindled to under 1 million pieces per year. The short-lived denomination was eliminated in the Coinage Act of 1873, along with the Silver Dollar, Half Dime and 3¢ silver piece.

The Two Cent Piece, which was in production for only 9 years from 1864 to 1873.