1870 Proof Two Cent Pattern - J-790

Coin Details

Description

Struck in the experimental standard silver alloy, this two-cent pattern carries the shield obverse with the IN GOD WE TRUST banner that had made the two-cent piece historically significant since its 1864 introduction. The reverse displays a wreath enclosing the denomination. By 1870, the two-cent piece was already in steep commercial decline as the nickel five-cent coin displaced it in everyday transactions, yet Linderman's Standard Silver proposal encompassed even this fading denomination. The piece documents a denomination in its twilight years, just three years before the Coinage Act of 1873 would formally abolish it.

Rarity Notes

R-6 to R-7. Approximately 10-20 examples known.

Cross References

Judd-790, Pollock-882