From a practical standpoint, the two-cent piece was one of the least successful coins in U.S. history: The United States Mint produced it for only ten years, and each year the mintage declined, reflecting steadily falling public interest in the coin. Yet, despite its failure as a medium of exchange, the two-cent piece made a singular and enduring contribution to the nation’s coinage history, for this was the coin that introduced the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. The motto and the coin itself were both direct results of the Civil War.

• • Years Minted: 1864-1873