Product Details The creation of the two-cent denomination was proposed in Article 10 of a coinage bill which was to become the Act of January 18, 1837. The article was deleted from the bill prior to passage. The article reads in part as follows: 'And be it further enacted, that it shall be lawful henceforward to coin two-cent pieces of an alloy composed of nine parts by weight of copper to one of silver, and weighing sixty grains. And that the two-cent piece shall be a legal tender of payment, according to the nominal value for all sums less than a dime.' Dr. Judd notes that Christian Gobrecht and Franklin Peale collaborated in making the two-cent patterns in the autumn of 1836. The dies are attributed to Gobrecht. Billon as a coinage metal had been opposed by Mint officials for decades. Mint Director Robert Patterson in 1807 convincingly demonstrated that billon could be easily imitated by compositions of brass which were completely devoid of silver. In 1836, experiments were undertaken at the Mint whereby some billon pattern coins were pickled in acid, giving them the appearance of good silver; this having been a practice at European mints where billon was coined. It was soon deduced, however, that a similar effect could be achieved by simply silver plating copper pieces. This rather obvious counterfeiting danger was probably the reason Congress dropped the denomination from the coinage bill before it was finally passed in 1837.
Coin Features:
NGC graded MS65
Known as a Judd-52 Pattern Two Cent
Obverse: An upright eagle with outstretched wings standing on a cloud, with the legend 'UNITED STATES OF AMERICA' around, and the date 1836 Below.
Reverse: The Denomination 'TWO CENTS' within a laurel wreath.
This is an NGC graded coin. You will receive the coin pictured. You are purchasing a 1836 Judd-52 Two Cent Pattern graded NGC MS65. This is an excellent coin to add to your collection.
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