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Coinage Act of 1864

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The Coinage Act of 1864 was a United States federal law passed on April 22, 1864, which changed the composition of the one-cent coin and authorized the minting of the two-cent coin. The Director of the U.S. Mint developed the designs for these coins for final approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. As a result of this law, the phrase "In God We Trust" first appeared, on the 1864 two-cent coin. An Act of Congress, passed on March 3, 1865, allowed the Mint Director, with the Secretary's approval, to place the phrase on all gold and silver coins that "shall admit the inscription thereon." In 1956, "In God We Trust" replaced "E Pluribus Unum" as the national motto. Beginning in 1957 currency was also printed with the motto.[1] The law also made it illegal to privately mint one and two cent coins for circulation, thus effectively ending the production of Civil War tokens.

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References

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  1. ^ "History of 'In God We Trust'". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
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