"In God We Trust" First Appeared on a Civil War Era Coin Introduced in April 1864

While they are not seen in common circulation, the US Treasury Department still maintains the $2 bill. But did you know there once was a 2-cent piece, and it also marked the first use of a now standard currency phrase later adopted by Congress as the motto of the United States.

The 2-cent coin introduced in 1864 featured the four-word phrase now found on all US currency and adopted as the US Motto in 1956.Photo byPublic domain photo by Brandon Grossardt

In fact, the 2-cent coin made its debut into US currency in April of 1864 -- on April 22, in fact. Whether unveiling the coin on the 22nd day of the month was intentional doesn't appear to have been well-documented, though we could speculate that it was. (However, if it was intentional, wouldn't February 22, or 2-22, have been an even better choice?)

Though the 2-cent coin had a short life in circulation, the coin stamped a lasting impact on all US currency. And that's because of a four-word inscription featured on the 2-cent piece as designed by the fourth Chief Engraver of the US Mint, James Barton Longacre.

During the Civil War, Treasury Secretary Salmon P Chase directed the US Mint to develop "a motto expressing in the fewest tersest terms possible" the nation's faith in God. After several options were considered, the term "In God We Trust" first appeared on the 2-cent coin designed by Longacre when it was released in April 1864..

Then, in 1865, Congress passed a law requiring the term to be included on all coins large enough to accommodate the inscription. Beginning in 1866, Longacre began redesigning other US coins to include the phrase.

More than 90 years later, on July 30, 1956, a joint resolution of Congress became Public Law 851 adopting the phrase "In God We Trust" as the official motto of the United States.

And what happened to the 2-cent coin? It was produced by the US Mint from 1864 through was produced by the US Mint only from 1864 to 1873. In 1864, the Mint produced approximately 20 million of the coins, and that number declined each year of the coin's production life. Approximately 46 million of the coins were produced. Today, a 2-cent coin is highly-valued collector's item. Depending on condition, vintage and other factors, coin exchange firm JMBullion.com estimates a 2-cent coin's value can range from $15 to more than $1,500.