Has the US ever "demonetized" any currency or coinage?

It also made half cents legal tender for the first time. Up until then they had never been legal tender.

Most people are surprised to learn that the half cent and large cent were never legal tender during the time they were issued. The cent didn't gain legal tender standing until the Act of April 22, 1864, and there is some debate as to whether or not in made the large cent and copper nickel cents legal tender, or if it only applied to the new bronze cents. The language of the act seems to make it apply ONLY to the new bronze coins. In which case the Large cents and coppernickel cents were not legal tender until 1965 as well.

Section five of that act also made the issuance of 1 or 2 cent tokens illegal, putting to an end the Civil War tokens.

 

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