2 Cents "Union Shield" · “Union Shield”

The Two-Cent Piece — the coin that gave America 'In God We Trust'

In the middle of the Civil War, with silver and gold vanishing from pockets, the U.S. Mint struck an odd new coin worth two cents. It was the first American coin ever to read "In God We Trust" — a motto that outlived the coin by 150 years and counting.