Put in Your Two-Cents Worth Trivia Quiz

Answer: Silver 3-cent; 2-cent; Nickel 3-cent; 20-cent

The silver 3-cent was first minted in 1851, and is the smallest non-gold coin minted to date. The 2-cent was first minted in 1864 and shares the obverse design with the shield nickel that was minted starting in 1866. The nickel 3-cent was first minted in 1865 and continued being minted through 1889.

The twenty cent was only minted during the period 1875-1878, making it one of the shortest-lived coins in the history of US currency.

Answer: the phrase "IN GOD WE TRUST"

The phrase "IN GOD WE TRUST" was put on the coins by Abe Lincoln to try to counter the negative feelings people were having because of the Civil War; however, it wasn't until 1938 that it appeared on all US coins. (The nickel was the last to feature the phrase.) Many people today argue that it should be removed from all future coins because of the importance of the separation of church and state, as well as the increasing population of atheists.

"E PLURIBUS UNUM" has appeared on most coins since they were first minted in the late 18th century.

While this coin does prominently feature a shield, a shield appeared on the obverse of the silver 3-cent inside the star starting in 1851, as well as on the reverse of Indian Head cents starting in 1860.

Answer: a wreath encircling the words "2 CENTS"

A similar wreath design was used on both the reverse of the Flying Eagle cent and the Indian Head cent.

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All the incorrect answers describe the reverses of one of the other coins on this quiz (with the exception of the "TWO" or "II" I needed to substitute in to make the question work).

The Roman numeral III surrounded by 13 stars - Silver Three-Cent Piece

An eagle clutching an olive branch and arrows with "TWENTY CENTS" written below it - Twenty Cent Piece

A wreath circling the Roman numeral III - Nickel Three-Cent Piece

Answer: trime

It's known as a trime. 14 mm in diameter, these silver 3-cents were the tiniest non-gold coins ever made by the mint, only slightly larger than the one-dollar gold coins (which were about 13 mm). The obverse featured a shield situated inside a star, and the reverse features the roman numeral III inside what appears to be an ornate letter "C". 13 stars circle the rims of the reverse.

Answer: Because of the Coinage Act of 1873, many of them were melted by the government.

The Coinage Act of 1873 reinforced the gold standard and ended the production of silver 3-cent and two-cent coins (as well as half dimes). While the mint did destroy most of a decade's worth of the silver 3-cents, they did not do the same with the two cents, and only the 1872 and 1873 2-cents are rare coins. (Only proofs were minted in 1873, and today they are worth thousands.)

Answer: the dime

This is one of the reasons the government stopped minting these nickel 3-cents in 1889. With dimes and nickel 3-cents being of the same size and similar color, both people and the fairly new vending machines* alike would often confuse them.

* Source: Wikipedia

Answer: False

Every nickel 3-cent was minted in Philadelphia; however, the years 1877, 1878, and 1886 are special because they were years when only proofs were minted. No circulation strikes for these nickel 3-cent coins were minted in these years, and even though most of the proofs were preserved by collectors, they are still exceedingly rare (especially 1877) and in excellent condition 1878 and 1886 3-cent coins can sell for up to $1500, while 1877 coins can sell for up to $2500.

Answer: 2

They were minted for circulation for only 2 years, 1875 and 1876, however proofs were minted through 1878 for collectors. The 1876-CC twenty-cent piece is one of the rarest coins in existence. Though the mint produced around 10,000 of them as circulation strikes, almost every single one was melted down and today it is estimated that no more than 20 still exist.

The ones that do are mostly uncirculated and sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars at coin auctions. The other circulation strikes (1875, 1875-CC, 1875-S, and 1876) sell for much less, though they still fetch a price between $125 and $30,000 depending on condition.

Answer: It looked too much like the quarter in both size and design.

This was part of the reason that these coins were so short-lived. When getting out change to pay for an item, spenders and sellers would sometimes have to check to see whether the coin said "Twenty Cents" or not. This event somewhat repeated itself in the recent past with the Susan B. Anthony dollar coins. People complained that they were too similar in size and color to the quarter and often grabbed the wrong one when reaching for change.

This problem was remedied with the Sacagawea gold-colored dollar.

Answer: True

Every coin minted by the United States (commemoratives and bullion coins excluded), with the exception of the Trade Dollar still hold their value. You'd be crazy, but if you really wanted to, you could buy a 25-cent piece of candy with a 2-cent piece, a 3-cent piece, and a 20-cent piece, and the vendor would be obligated to accept that as payment. (And then he'd turn around and sell them on eBay for large profit.)