Not Just Two-Cent Pieces, Proof Two-Cent Pieces

BY MARK BENVENUTO

Our nation’s experiment with two-cent pieces over one hundred and fifty years ago produced a series of copper coins that have been forgotten by virtually everyone, with the exception of collectors and a select group of historians. There are probably a bunch of reasons for this. Maybe it’s that the entire series ran from only 1864 to 1872, with an additional proof-only issue in 1873. Maybe it’s that the design work of Mr. James Longacre doesn’t stand out when we compare it to other classic designs of the nineteenth century. Perhaps it’s simply that these are copper pieces, and despite being classic United States coins, they contain no precious metal. Whether it is one of these reasons or a combination of them all, two-cent pieces always tend to be beyond…

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Numismatic News (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 26, 2024

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