The two-cent piece, minted from 1864 to 1873 was a short-lived and currently obsolete denomination from the US Mint. It was one of the shortest-lived denominations and issue of any United States coin. Around this time, the Mint was creating two-cent pieces and three-cent pieces, with the nickel three-cent coin replacing the silver design in 1865, one year after the first year of the two-cent piece. Just after the conclusion of the two-cent piece in 1873, the Mint began minting another popular obsolete denomination, the twenty-cent piece. This type was incredibly short lived, concluding in 1878, just 3 years after its introduction. Around this time, the US Mint seemed to have been obsessed with creating several different denominations until finally settling in on what you generally use today. The mintages of the two-cent coins started out strong, but dwindled down every year and 1873 was a proof-only year. The coin was designed by James Longacre and weighted 6.22 grams, double the weight of the bronze Indian Head Cent, also designed by Longacre and released the same year. The coin was composed of 95% copper, plus a�5% tin and zinc combination. These coins, with a diameter of 23 millimeters are slightly larger than small cents. All two-cent pieces were minted at the Philadelphia Mint.�

The US Mint is constantly minting new coinage. They also mint new designs quite often, as well. This post discusses new designs every decade starting in 1792,�when the US Mint was founded, and going all the way to present day, if applicable in the style.