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2 Cents '1836' Pattern, billon
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1836 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 20.5 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The denomination TWO CENTS is inscribed in two bold lines of block capital letters at center, within an open wreath of laurel or olive branches tied with a ribbon bow at the base. The branches extend symmetrically from the lower field, their leaves and berries rendered in fine relief. The design is enclosed within a beaded border, and the field is plain and unadorned, lending a stark, classical character to the composition. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The 1836 2-cent pattern emerged from a broader push by Mint Director Robert Patterson and later Samuel Moore to introduce small-denomination base-metal coinage that could relieve the chronic shortage of circulating cents and half cents. Billon — a low-silver copper alloy — was one of several compositions tested that year alongside pure copper strikes of the same design, which accounts for the paired Judd references. Congress never authorized the denomination, and production stopped at pattern quantities.
Survivors are institutional-grade rarities. Most traced examples have provenance running through 19th-century cabinet collections.