2 Cents (Pattern)

The Two-Cent Coin America Made — Then Talked Itself Out Of

In 1836 the U.S. Mint struck a brand-new denomination — a two-cent coin made partly of silver. Then its own people demonstrated how easily it could be counterfeited, and Congress quietly cut it from the bill. The coin you see here was never legal money. It is the evidence of an argument the Mint had with itself.