Odd Denominations Fun Avenue for Collectors

Collectors and the general public today are used to four different denominations of workhorse coins when it comes down to everyday use. Cents, nickels, dimes, and quarters do almost all the heavy lifting when it comes to transactions that need small change, and half dollars and dollar coins are seldom seen. But our nation has experimented with several other denominations over the years. Forming collections of these often unknown or unremembered series has the potential to be a lot of fun.

Two Cents Worth?

As four bloody years of conflict drew towards its end, our nation had survived a Civil War with numerous casualties on both sides – and with a tattered money system. In 1864 the Mint released a new coin, the two-cent piece. Mr. James Longacres’ artwork, the two-cent piece, weighed in at twice the mass of the Indian Head cent, and was made mostly of copper with a 5% allowance of tin. The two-cent pieces