The Two-Cent Piece: First Coin to Say "In God We Trust"

A Civil War Innovation That Changed All American Money

The 1864 Two-Cent Piece holds a distinction that no other coin can claim: it was the first U.S. coin to bear the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. Born during the darkest days of the Civil War, the motto reflected the nation's religious sentiment during wartime — and eventually spread to every denomination.

The denomination itself was a child of crisis. The Civil War caused massive coin hoarding — gold first, then silver, then even copper-nickel cents disappeared from circulation. The Mint introduced the two-cent piece in bronze to help fill the gap. But it was redundant almost from the start, and mintages dropped sharply after the first few years.

The 1864 Small Motto variety is the key to the series — on early dies, the motto letters are noticeably smaller and the "D" in GOD is narrower. The final years (1871-1873) are proof-only issues.

The Silver Three-Cent Piece (trime) and Nickel Three-Cent Piece occupy the same niche of short-lived, unusual denominations. The tiny 14mm silver trime is the smallest U.S. coin ever made by diameter.

Join the Discussion

• Do you collect any of the odd denominations? What appeals to you about them?
• Have you seen the difference between the Small Motto and Large Motto 1864 in hand?
• Which is more interesting to collect: the two-cent piece, silver three-cent, or nickel three-cent?