From 1864 to 1873, the United States minted a copper two-cent coin. It proved somewhat unpopular with the public, and was withdrawn in fairly short order; the penny and nickel were more popular. Today, quite a few circulated and a few premium uncirculated and highly graded two-cent coins from this period of US history are available in the coin marketplace.
American 2-cent coins did not feature a portrait of either a real or allegorical figure; they showed a shield and a wreath on their two sides. Earlier attempts to make a two-cent coin never made it into wider circulation, making the 1864 to 1873 two cent coins the ones that most collectors focus on.
