07/16/2026
America's Forgotten Denominations
Early on in my numismatic journey, one of my favorite moments was discovering that there were far more denominations circulating in the United States than the handful most of us recognize today. Most people know about cents, nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars. Before I got into this hobby, I would’ve assumed that was the complete lineup. The first time I saw denominations I’d never heard of before, my reaction was confusion followed by an immediate smile a few seconds later. The more I’ve learned, the more I’ve realized that some of the “weirdest” coins in American history tell some of the best stories. So let’s skip the small talk and dive into a few of my favorite forgotten denominations.
One of the coolest coins I’ve come across is the three-cent silver piece, often called a trime. In fact, it’s the smallest silver coin the United States Mint has ever produced. When I say tiny, I mean tiny. The first time you hold one, you might wonder how people didn’t lose them constantly… or should I say all the trime. The denomination was introduced in 1851 after postage rates were reduced to three cents. Instead of forcing people to make change with larger coins, the Mint created a coin that made buying stamps convenient. Think about that for a second. The U.S. government created an entirely new denomination because mailing a letter became cheaper. That’s exactly the kind of random historical detail that draws me to coins. What’s even more interesting is that the trime eventually got a cousin. During the Civil War, silver coins began disappearing from circulation as people hoarded precious metal, so the Mint introduced the three-cent nickel in 1865. It served the same basic purpose but was larger, easier to handle, and didn’t contain silver. For a brief period, Americans actually had two different three-cent coins circulating at the same time. If that sounds a little confusing, that’s because it probably was.
Another denomination that doesn’t get enough attention is the two-cent piece. It had a short run from 1864 to 1873, but it left a permanent mark on American coinage. It was the first coin to carry the phrase “In God We Trust.” That motto appears on every coin and piece of currency we use today, but it all started with the two-cent piece during the Civil War era. As someone who loves Civil War coinage, I think that’s pretty incredible. It’s a denomination that often gets overlooked, yet it will always have a place in American history.
If I had to pick the denomination that makes me laugh the most, it would be the twenty-cent piece. On paper, it sounded like a decent idea. In reality, it was a disaster. The coin looked far too much like a quarter, and people constantly mixed the two up. Frustration followed almost immediately. The denomination only lasted a few years before the government abandoned the experiment altogether. I always find it funny that collectors spend thousands of dollars chasing examples of a coin that was basically considered a failure from the day it entered circulation.
Every forgotten denomination was created to solve a problem. Cheaper postage. Civil War coin shortages. Economic growth in the American West. They were all products of their time. Most disappeared long ago, but the stories are still here and honestly that’s one of the reasons I love collecting. A coin doesn’t have to be worth thousands of dollars to be interesting. Sometimes all it takes is a weird denomination, a good story, and a little bit of curiosity.
Cheers,
Matt
