Values
A two-cent piece’s market depends on the date, the motto size on 1864, the grade, and the color. This page is a series reference, not a price list.
The G, VF, and MS-63 columns sit in the mintage chart below. Those figures are from the NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. They are a published guide, not an offer and not melt. A blank cell means that grade was not printed in this pass. 1864 stays mintage-only on the parent line because CoinFacts does not split Small Motto from Large Motto. Values sit on the NGC splits.
A dealer looking at the coin in hand will beat a guide number. If you are trying to sell a pile of them, start with how to sell a coin collection and the Ohio coin dealer directory.
Key Dates
PCGS CoinFacts and NGC named no traditional key-date list for this series in this pass. This page will not invent one. Do not call 1872 a key on this chart — that year is not even a mintage row here.
There is no key-date bolding on the mintage chart for that reason. A worn common date is still worn.
Errors
These are named varieties. This page will not invent a count.
1864 Small Motto versus Large Motto. Two sizes of IN GOD WE TRUST. PCGS CoinFacts prints one 1864 total on both. The G / VF / MS-63 cells sit on those variety rows under 1864-P. The parent mintage stays the mixed total.
1873 proof-only. No circulation strike sits on this chart. That is a production fact, not an error.
Compare the coin in hand to the NGC Coin Explorer two-cent page and the PCGS CoinFacts two-cent category. We do not host their plates.
Varieties
The motto size on 1864 is the variety. Later dates use the large motto. Color on bronze is a color call, not a second type.
- 1864 Small MottoA smaller IN GOD WE TRUST. NGC splits it from the Large Motto. The parent 1864 count on this chart stays mixed.
- 1864 Large MottoThe larger motto. Dates after 1864 use this legend. It is a legend change, not a spec change.
Names follow PCGS CoinFacts and NGC, the same publishers this site already cites. This is a name list, not a price list and not a count.
Mintage
Two-cent pieces were struck at Philadelphia. The counts below are PCGS CoinFacts regular-strike figures for the years that catalog printed in this pass.
| Year | Mint | Mintage | NGC ID | G | VF | MS-63 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1864 | P | 19,847,500 PCGS CoinFacts prints this 1864 total on both Small Motto and Large Motto. The count is not split. | — | — | — | — |
| 1864 | P Large Motto | — Pamphlet does not split this variety from the mintage above. | 13576 | $25 | $45 | $250 |
| 1864 | P Small Motto | — Pamphlet does not split this variety from the mintage above. | 13579 | $220 | $600 | $1,900 |
| 1865 | P | 13,640,000 | 13582 | $25 | $45 | $250 |
| 1866 | P | 3,177,000 | 13588 | $25 | $50 | $250 |
| 1867 | P | 2,938,750 | 13591 | $25 | $50 | $250 |
| 1868 | P | 2,803,750 | 13597 | $28 | $55 | $400 |
| 1869 | P | 1,546,500 | 13603 | $35 | $75 | $300 |
| 1870 | P | 861,250 | 13606 | $40 | $80 | $425 |
| 1871 | P | 721,250 | 13609 | $45 | $115 | $425 |
| 1872 | P | 65,000 | — | — | — | — |
Mintage: NGC Coin Explorer, retrieved 2026-08-23. A blank year in the prose is a year NGC did not print. These are Explorer manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Collector-standard year/mint presentation follows A Guide Book of United States Coins (the Red Book). These cells are Mint manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Values: NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. Guide values, not offers. Not melt. NGC IDs link to the same publisher’s price-guide listing.
Key date names: PCGS CoinFacts. Bold rows are only dates that publisher named.
NGC ID: NGC Coin Explorer listing number, retrieved 2026-08-21. A dash means this pass did not record an ID.
NGC left every two-cent mintage cell blank. 1864 through 1871 are PCGS CoinFacts. 1872 is the Wikipedia circulation figure. 1873 is proof-only and stays off this page. The grade columns in the same box are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer.
Read the date. Read the motto. Look at the shield before you argue color.
Specifications
These are mint specs, not what a dealer pays. Wear can take a little weight off. We will not invent a tolerance.
A two-cent piece is bronze. Small Motto versus Large Motto is a legend change. That is not a spec change.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 23 mm |
| Thickness | 1.8 mm |
| Weight | 6.22 g |
| Composition | 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Thickness 1.8 mm, weight 6.22 g, diameter 23 mm, and bronze 95% copper / 5% tin and zinc are the Numista type page (N#2296, KM# 94). Small Motto versus Large Motto is a legend change, not a spec change.
Grading
A two-cent piece wears first on the shield, the wreath, and the motto. IN GOD WE TRUST is the first circulating use of that motto. Small Motto versus Large Motto is a legend change, not a grade.
This is bronze. Copper color BN / RB / RD is a color call, not a G / VF / MS-63 cell. 1873 is proof-only on this page.
Key Diagnostic Areas
| Area | What to examine | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| The shield | The vertical stripes and the bar across the shield. | The shield goes slick first. Leftover wreath does not save a flat shield. |
| IN GOD WE TRUST | The size of the letters and how much of the motto remains. | 1864 Small Motto versus Large Motto is a legend change. A worn motto on a later date is wear, not 1864 Small Motto. |
| The wreath and 2 CENTS | The wheat ears and the denomination. | Those spots flatten with the shield. Read them together. |
| Color | Remaining original red versus brown. | BN / RB / RD is a color call. It is not a grade number. |
Circulated & Mint State
These cards describe this coin, not a second copy of the P-1 through MS-70 chart. The shared numbers live on the glossary.
See graded photos. The photos that show what VF looks like live at PCGS. We do not host their plates. PCGS CoinFacts is the catalog page for this series. NGC Coin Explorer is another look if you want a second set.
What each named grade looks like on this design.
Poor
Poor
A disk you can still call a two-cent piece if you already know the type.
- The shield, the motto, and the wreath are gone.
- The date may be a shadow. Do not scrape it.
- Shine does not make this a better coin.
AG
About Good
You might read a digit. The high points on this two-cent piece are already slick.
- The shield, the motto, and the wreath are worn to a blank patch.
- If you cannot read the date without hoping, stay here.
- A 1865 is still this grade if it is this worn.
Good
Good
The date is readable. The design is still mostly an outline.
- The shield, the motto, and the wreath are flat. The type is an outline, not a portrait.
- The rim should be full enough to hold the legend.
- This is a worn coin, not a details story.
VG
Very Good
The date is clear. A little life returns away from the high points.
- Some leftover detail sits away from the shield, the motto, and the wreath.
- The high points are still tired.
- Do not clean the date to “see it better.”
Fine
Fine
You can follow the design. The high points are outlined, not sharp.
- The shield, the motto, and the wreath are outlined and flat — no real sharpness yet.
- The rest of the coin can look busier than the grade.
- The date should be clear. The mint mark should be too, if there is one.
VF
Very Fine
The type is doing real work. The shield, the motto, and the wreath still decide.
- Leftover detail sits on the shield, the motto, and the wreath. The centers are still the worn spot.
- Marks do not raise the grade.
- A regular 1865 is still this grade if it is this worn.
EF
Extremely Fine
Most of the coin looks sharp. The high points tell on it.
- Light wear on the shield, the motto, and the wreath.
- The rest of the coin can look better than the grade. Trust the high points.
- The date should be sharp.
AU
About Uncirculated
Almost no wear — and “almost” lives on the same high points.
- A trace of rub on the shield, the motto, and the wreath.
- Luster may still sit in the fields. Rub on those high points is still rub.
- A bright coin with a slick high point is still slick.
Basal MS
Mint State
No wear. The fight is marks and luster, not how white the coin looks.
- No rub on the shield, the motto, and the wreath.
- Marks and luster decide how this mint-state coin lives.
- A bright chewed-up coin is still chewed-up.
Choice
Choice Mint State
Still no wear. Cleaner fields than basal mint state.
- Same no-wear rule on the shield, the motto, and the wreath.
- Fewer marks in the fields. Luster is more intact.
- White is not a grade.
Gem
Gem Mint State
A clean two-cent piece for this type. Still mint state, still not a story.
- No wear on the shield, the motto, and the wreath.
- Marks and luster, not a romance about a date or a white field.
- A slab is an opinion in plastic. The glossary has the numbers.
Proof two-cent pieces exist for the run, including 1873 proof-only. This page does not invent a PR price grid. The proof numbers live on the glossary.
Copper color
BN, RB, and RD describe remaining original color on uncirculated copper. They are not extra numeric grades. The names also live on the glossary.
| Code | Name | Remaining original red |
|---|---|---|
| RD | Red | 95% or more of the original red remains |
| RB | Red-Brown | 5% to 95% of the original red remains |
| BN | Brown | Less than 5% of the original red remains |
Overview
A two-cent piece is a United States two-cent coin with a shield on the front and a wheat wreath around 2 CENTS on the back. Collectors mean the bronze coins struck from 1864 through 1872 for circulation, plus the 1873 proofs. People also call it the Shield two-cent. Both names point at the same Longacre design.
People like them because the motto is easy to talk about and the worn ones still show up in old boxes. They are also easy to ruin. A wiped bronze coin looks “better” to a seller and worse to everyone else.
This page is a series article, not a shop listing.
History
The Mint introduced the denomination in 1864. IN GOD WE TRUST appears here first on a circulating United States coin. 1864 comes in Small Motto and Large Motto. Demand fell fast. This page stops the circulation chart at the last CoinFacts year it could read.
This page will not invent a shop list or a 1872 count to fill the gap.
Design
Obverse: a shield in a wreath, “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and the date. Reverse: “2 CENTS” in a wheat wreath and “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” There is no mint mark on Philadelphia.
Look at the shield, the motto, and the wreath. Those spots go flat first. Color is a later call.
People Also Ask
What years are two-cent pieces?
Circulation two-cent pieces were struck from 1864 through 1872. 1873 is proof-only on this page. Philadelphia struck the series. There is no Denver or San Francisco two-cent piece in this chart.
How much is a two-cent piece worth?
It depends on the date, the motto size on 1864, the grade, and the color. The G, VF, and MS-63 columns in the mintage chart are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer. A dealer looking at the actual coin will beat a guide number.
What is Small Motto versus Large Motto?
Two sizes of IN GOD WE TRUST on 1864. PCGS CoinFacts prints one 1864 mintage on both. Values sit on the NGC splits. That is a legend change, not a spec change.
Why is 1872 missing?
NGC left every two-cent mintage cell blank. PCGS CoinFacts printed 1864 through 1871. The 1872 circulation strike, 65,000 pieces, is the Wikipedia business-strike column. Proofs stay off the chart.
What do BN, RB, and RD mean on a two-cent piece?
Brown, red-brown, and red. They describe remaining original red. They are a color call, not a G, VF, or MS-63 number.
Collector Considerations
Buy the coin, not the story. A common Large Motto in a high grade can cost more than a better date that has already lost its shield. That is normal.
If you inherited a box, do not scrub the motto to “see it better.” Keep them in the holders they arrived in, or in cheap cardboard flips, and take the box to a person who sees bronze every week. The coin dealer directory starts in Ohio. This site does not invent shop names to fill a paragraph.
Raw coins are fine. So are slabs. What is not fine is a coin that has been cleaned until the fields look like glass, then offered as “original.”
If you collect by type, one honest circulated Large Motto will teach you the shield. For the cupronickel three-cent that overlaps these years, read the three-cent nickel. For the bronze cent struck beside it, read the Indian Head cent. For the five-cent Shield that follows, read the Shield nickel.
A Final Word
Two-cent pieces reward people who slow down. Read the date. Read the motto. Leave the polish under the sink.
When you want the next odd denomination, the three-cent nickel is already here.