1836 Proof Two Cent Pattern - J-52

Coin Details

Auction Record

$21,600 PR66 01-05-2023 Heritage Auctions

Description

Cataloged as Judd-52 and struck in billon (an alloy of 90% copper and 10% silver) with a plain edge, this pattern represents one of the earliest experimental designs for a two-cent denomination in United States coinage. The obverse features a diminutive eagle with outstretched wings perched atop a cloud, encircled by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with the date 1836 below. The reverse carries the denomination TWO CENTS framed by a laurel wreath. The two-cent denomination was proposed as part of broader coinage reform legislation during the mid-1830s, specifically in connection with the Act of January 13, 1837. However, the provision for a two-cent coin was stripped from the bill before final passage, and the denomination would not become a reality until nearly three decades later, when the exigencies of the Civil War led to the creation of the two-cent piece in 1864. These billon patterns thus stand as artifacts of a road not taken in American coinage, representing an early attempt to fill the gap between the half cent and the three-cent piece with a denomination that Congress ultimately decided the country did not yet need.