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1865 Two-Cent Piece

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop Start Price:1.00 USD
1865 Two-Cent Piece

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Auction Date:2018 Feb 21 @ 20:00 (UTC-7 : PDT/MST)
Location:2320 W Peoria Ave Suite B142, Phoenix, Arizona, 85029, United States
Please see scans for details regarding the condition of the coins.

The two-cent piece was produced by the Mint of the United States for circulation from 1864 to 1872 and for collectors in 1873. Designed by James B. Longacre, there were decreasing mintages each year, as other minor coins such as the nickel proved more popular. It was abolished by the Mint Act of 1873.

The economic turmoil of the American Civil War caused government-issued coins, even the non-silver Indian Head cent, to vanish from circulation, hoarded by the public. One means of filling this gap was private token issues, often made of bronze. The cent at that time was struck of a copper-nickel alloy, the same diameter as the later Lincoln cent, but somewhat thicker. The piece was difficult for the Philadelphia Mint to strike, and Mint officials, as well as the annual Assay Commission, recommended the coin's replacement. Despite opposition from those wishing to keep the metal nickel in the coinage, led by Pennsylvania Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1864, authorizing bronze cents and two-cent pieces.