1865 Two-Cent Piece Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 500 made
- Mintage
- 500
- 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 1865 Two-Cent Piece Proof worth?
Few coins in the series are harder to find. Even a worn 1865 sells well above face value. The flip side is that counterfeits and altered dates are common, so authentication matters.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1865 Two-Cent Piece Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 500 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1865 Two-Cent Piece?
- No mint mark. All two-cent pieces were struck in Philadelphia.
- How many 1865 Two-Cent Piece proofs were made?
- 500.
What to check on your 1865
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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.
Proofs from 1865 were struck one at a time in small numbers and many were later spent or mishandled. Look for hairlines from cleaning, which lower the grade.
The story of the 1865
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 1865
The three-cent nickel piece was introduced to replace paper three-cent notes and the motto "In God We Trust" was authorized for all coins large enough to carry it.
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 | 1865 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 500 |
| 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 1865 Two-Cent Piece issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1865 Two-Cent Piece | 13,640,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1865 Two-Cent Piece Proof | 500 | 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.