1866 Two-Cent Piece
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 3,177,000 made
- Mintage
- 3,177,000
- Metal
- 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc
- Weight
- 6.22 g
- Diameter
- 23 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1866 Two-Cent Piece worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1866 Two-Cent Piece rare?
- No. 3.2 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1866 Two-Cent Piece?
- No mint mark. All two-cent pieces were struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1866 are scarcer?
- The 1871 at 721,250, the 1870 at 861,250, the 1869 at 1,546,500, plus 2 more. So the 1866 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1866 Two-Cent Piece coins were made?
- 3,177,000.
What to check on your 1866
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1866 Two-Cent Piece Proof (725 made) is the one to compare with.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the word WE on the motto ribbon and the leaves around the shield. Full red copper is rare.
The story of the 1866
Production at Philadelphia fell off a cliff in 1866. Only 3,177,000 were made, against 14 million the year before. That drop is why the 1866 is the one people look for. The next year it made 2.9 million (1867).
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1866 you find is from Philadelphia.
Philadelphia struck the Two-Cent Piece in 9 issues between 1864 and 1872. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1872 (65,000). Within the 1860s it's 4th smallest of 6, between the 1867 (2.9 million) and the 1865 (14 million).
Civil War coins with a new motto (1864 to 1866)
The Coinage Act of April 22, 1864 created the bronze two-cent piece during the Civil War coin shortage, when silver and even cents had vanished from circulation. James B. Longacre, chief engraver of the Mint, created the shield design. It was the first United States coin to carry IN GOD WE TRUST, placed on a scroll above the shield. The same law changed the cent from copper-nickel to bronze.
Philadelphia struck 19,822,500 in 1864 and 13,640,000 in 1865. The 1864 comes with a small motto and a large motto. The small motto is much the scarcer of the two. The 1866 mintage fell to 3,177,000 as copper-nickel three-cent pieces arrived. Survivors are usually brown. Many show spots, verdigris or cleaning, while fully red coins are rare.
The two-cent piece appeared at the height of the Civil War, when cents were hoarded and the Treasury wanted a small coin that would circulate. Nearly 20 million were struck in 1864, the largest output of the series, in Small Motto and Large Motto varieties. The Small Motto is much scarcer and is the variety collectors look for first.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1866
The five-cent nickel arrived in 1866 with the Shield design. The motto "In God We Trust" was added to silver dollars, half dollars, quarters and the larger gold coins.
How to recognize it
A shield framed by laurel branches with crossed arrows behind it fills the obverse, with a scroll reading IN GOD WE TRUST above and the date below. It was the first US coin to carry the motto. The reverse shows 2 CENTS inside a wreath of wheat, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the rim.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Two-Cent Piece (1864–1873) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1866 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 3,177,000 |
| Face value | 2¢ |
| Composition | 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (bronze) |
| Weight | 6.22 grams |
| Diameter | 23 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Other 1866 Two-Cent Piece issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1866 Two-Cent Piece | 3,177,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1866 Two-Cent Piece Proof | 725 | Proof | – |
Mintage: Two-cent piece (United States) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.