My Two-cents Worth

	There was a time when you could get change for a nickel and NEITHER coin would be a penny! The copper two-cent piece was only minted from 1864 to 1873. I wonder what they called it besides "the two-cent piece"?
	The other coin in your change for a nickel was a nickel three-cent piece! It was made from 1865 to 1889 and was smaller and thinner than a 5 cent nickel; just about the size of a dime. The confusion it caused must have hurried its demise. The mint makes this same mistake once every other generation or so.
	The most curious little U.S. coin was the little silver three-cent piece! (1851 to 1873) I can't imagine what possessed the people at the mint when they came up with THIS one. Remind me to read up on it and report back to you later!
	This is the size our "penny" was from when it was first minted in 1793 until 1857. We call it the "Large cent", although I don't imagine they called it that back then. Large, as opposed to what? Hmm, I wonder how the Romans dated their coins in the years "B.C."?

Graphic designs by: The U.S. Mint. Photography and webpage design: © Gene Tencza, 1998 Page last revised: 3/22/01

Use your Back Button to go back where you were, or... See some more interesting coins, or... Go back one page, or... Return to Something about Gene or... Return to Main Page

For Size comparison