Coinage Act (1864)
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The Coinage Act of 1864, a United States federal law, changed the composition of the one-cent coin and authorized the minting of the two-cent coin. The Director of the United States Mint was directed to develop the designs for these coins for final approval of the Secretary of the Treasury.
As a result of this law, the motto "In God We Trust" first appeared, on the 1864 two-cent coin.
Congress passed the Act on April 22, 1864.
Another Act of Congress, passed on March 3, 1865, allowed the Mint Director, with the Secretary's approval, to place the motto on all gold and silver coins that "shall admit the inscription thereon."