Three Cent Piece

Three Cent Piece
Of all the currency denominations, the Three Cent Piece might seem to be the oddest. However, it was first conceived as a response to the communication methods of the time. In the mid-to-late nineteenth century, a stamp for a letter was worth three cents. Minting authorities thought it would be convenient to be able to use a single coin to pay for these stamps. This well-intentioned idea never really succeeded, because while three cent piece coins were great for trips to the post office, they were not much use anywhere else.
There were actually multiple designs of the Three Cent Piece available over its rocky years of circulation. The earliest one was made of silver and quite small, which is why it was nicknamed the “fish scale.” People also thought it looked rather like a dime, which is why it was also called a “trime,” a portmanteau word for “tri” and “dime.” However, some people thought three cent piece was too small, which led to a radical re-designing of it. In its second incarnation, first minted in 1865, the three cent piece was composed of copper and nickel.

The two forms of the Three Cent Piece were very different in design, as well as in composition and size. The fish-scale was about three-fourths to four-fifths of a gram in mass, and thus did not have room for large designs. On one side was a tiny shield on top of a star, surrounded by the words “United States of America,” plus the minting year. On the other side of three cent piece was a large, ornate C with a Roman numeral III inside its curve. Thirteen stars ran along the coin’s edge, representing the thirteen original states.

The copper-and-nickel coin, known as the Three Cent Nickel, on the other hand, had more than twice the mass of the previous prototype. Its “head” side depicted a Liberty profile instead of the shield on the star. On the reverse side was a Roman numeral III inside an upward-facing wreath.

Three Cent Piece (Silver) Fair Market Values in U.S. Dollars (1851-1873)
| Date/Type | G4 | VG8 | F12 | VF20 | XF40 | AU50 | AU53 | AU55 | AU58 | MS60 | PR60 (Proof) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variety 1 | -- | ||||||||||
| 1851 | $25 | $44 | $46 | $53 | $68 | $140 | $144 | $156 | $180 | $192 | -- |
| 1851 O | $30 | $46 | $51 | $78 | $168 | $252 | $276 | $294 | $324 | $390 | -- |
| 1852 | $25 | $44 | $46 | $56 | $72 | $144 | $150 | $156 | $168 | $180 | -- |
| 1853 | $25 | $44 | $46 | $53 | $66 | $138 | $144 | $150 | $162 | $186 | -- |
| Variety 2 | |||||||||||
| 1854 | $25 | $44 | $47 | $60 | $120 | $222 | $240 | $258 | $276 | $330 | $5,130 |
| 1855 | $29 | $47 | $63 | $114 | $192 | $288 | $306 | $330 | $360 | $540 | $3,440 |
| 1856 | $28 | $46 | $49 | $59 | $113 | $198 | $204 | $222 | $252 | $300 | $2340 |
| 1857 | $25 | $44 | $47 | $58 | $108 | $234 | $240 | $264 | $270 | $310 | $2,060 |
| 1858 | $25 | $44 | $47 | $55 | $108 | $186 | $192 | $204 | $258 | $288 | $1,630 |
| Variety 3 | |||||||||||
| 1859 | $28 | $45 | $48 | $59 | $88 | $162 | $168 | $168 | $180 | $198 | $312 |
| 1860 | $29 | $46 | $49 | $60 | $89 | $162 | $168 | $174 | $180 | $198 | $342 |
| 1861 | $28 | $45 | $51 | $60 | $92 | $162 | $168 | $174 | $186 | $198 | $320 |
| 1862 | $29 | $46 | $51 | $60 | $94 | $162 | $168 | $186 | $198 | $210 | $342 |
| 1862/1 | $30 | $46 | $52 | $60 | $97 | $168 | $180 | $192 | $228 | $252 | -- |
| *1863 | $305 | $322 | $345 | $408 | $444 | $570 | $620 | $780 | $880 | $940 | $360 |
| *1864 | $290 | $330 | $380 | $432 | $510 | $540 | $570 | $660 | $750 | $840 | $330 |
| *1865 | $335 | $375 | $405 | $460 | $510 | $570 | $600 | $720 | $810 | $890 | $342 |
| *1866 | $315 | $368 | $391 | $450 | $510 | $600 | $640 | $690 | $780 | $840 | $330 |
| *1867 | $345 | $405 | $430 | $510 | $570 | $630 | $670 | $720 | $810 | $890 | $360 |
| *1868 | $345 | $405 | $430 | $510 | $570 | $600 | $640 | $690 | $750 | $840 | $420 |
| *1869 | $325 | $375 | $415 | $450 | $480 | $540 | $570 | $600 | $650 | $720 | $360 |
| 1869/8 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | $1,470 |
| *1870 | $320 | $370 | $415 | $480 | $540 | $600 | $640 | $680 | $780 | $890 | $342 |
| *1871 | $360 | $405 | $440 | $480 | $520 | $540 | $560 | $640 | $750 | $840 | $372 |
| *1872 | $385 | $420 | $450 | $510 | $600 | $670 | $740 | $810 | $900 | $1,050 | $469 |
| 1873 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | $690 | $1,200 |
Three Cent Piece Coins on eBay
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1853 Three Cent Silver


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★ 1862 Three Cent 3CS - NGC MS64 - Rare Coin! ★


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1853 THREE SILVER CENT,SLIGHTLY BENT!!!!

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C-USA 1852 Silver Three Cent VG


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C-USA 1853 Silver Three Cent VF


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1852 Silver Three Cent Piece -*Nice Coin*- (MP059)

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RARE 1853 US Three Cent Silver Piece 3c Coin

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1851-O THREE CENT 3CS G06 PCGS


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1859 Three Cent Silver BU Weak Strike Clearance Sale

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Three Cent Nickel Fair Market Values in U.S. Dollars (1865-1889)
| Date | G4 | VG8 | F12 | VF20 | XF40 | AU50 | AU53 | AU55 | AU58 | MS60 | PR60 (Proof) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1865 | $15 | $18 | $22 | $30 | $41 | $60 | $65 | $74 | $94 | $101 | $750 |
| 1866 | $15 | $18 | $20 | $28 | $41 | $61 | $65 | $70 | $85 | $101 | $228 |
| 1867 | $15 | $18 | $20 | $26 | $41 | $60 | $64 | $70 | $89 | $101 | $204 |
| 1868 | $15 | $18 | $20 | $28 | $41 | $61 | $65 | $74 | $90 | $103 | $228 |
| 1869 | $16 | $19 | $23 | $29 | $41 | $62 | $66 | $77 | $95 | $110 | $216 |
| 1870 | $16 | $19 | $23 | $29 | $43 | $68 | $74 | $82 | $97 | $126 | $204 |
| 1871 | $16 | $19 | $24 | $30 | $43 | $70 | $76 | $84 | $104 | $138 | $192 |
| 1872 | $16 | $19 | $24 | $30 | $42 | $66 | $71 | $79 | $92 | $120 | $222 |
| 1873 | $16 | $19 | $23 | $30 | $41 | $62 | $66 | $71 | $94 | $138 | $204 |
| 1874 | $17 | $20 | $24 | $31 | $44 | $65 | $70 | $79 | $102 | $132 | $198 |
| 1875 | $17 | $22 | $25 | $32 | $47 | $76 | $88 | $102 | $126 | $168 | $210 |
| 1876 | $18 | $23 | $28 | $36 | $49 | $94 | $100 | $106 | $120 | $186 | $192 |
| 1877 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | $1,440 |
| 1878 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | $610 |
| 1879 | $54 | $68 | $78 | $98 | $113 | $156 | $174 | $192 | $216 | $258 | $222 |
| 1880 | $74 | $86 | $104 | $150 | $162 | $192 | $198 | $222 | $240 | $270 | $282 |
| 1881 | $15 | $18 | $20 | $26 | $41 | $61 | $65 | $70 | $82 | $120 | $204 |
| 1882 | $104 | $126 | $150 | $192 | $240 | $270 | $282 | $300 | $318 | $342 | $270 |
| 1883 | $168 | $193 | $240 | $270 | $312 | $390 | $450 | $570 | $630 | $780 | $246 |
| 1884 | $360 | $386 | $438 | $540 | $660 | $750 | $840 | $930 | $1,110 | $1,230 | $270 |
| 1885 | $444 | $506 | $558 | $760 | $870 | $960 | $1,020 | $1,110 | $1,200 | $1,320 | $264 |
| 1886 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | $276 |
| 1887 | $264 | $294 | $330 | $408 | $468 | $510 | $540 | $570 | $600 | $630 | $270 |
| 1888 | $44 | $50 | $56 | $66 | $96 | $138 | $162 | $174 | $204 | $240 | $210 |
| 1889 | $77 | $98 | $110 | $132 | $162 | $192 | $210 | $222 | $240 | $300 | $192 |
Three Cent Nickels on eBay
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RARE 1867 3 THREE CENT NICKEL PIECE COIN VG BUY IT NOW OR MAKE OFFER


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1869 Three Cent Nickel , VF


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1866 Three Cent Nickel Coin .Full Liberty ! VG + condition .grade from photo's

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1867 U.S. 3 Cent Piece

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1868 Three Cent Nickel PCGS MS-65 Nice Coin!


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C-USA 1865 Nickel Three Cent G


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WOW LOOK 1873 -3 CENT AMERICAN COIN

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1884 THREE CENT 3CN PR68 NGC CAMEO


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HISTORIC 1865 3 CENT NICKEL, GREAT DETAIL,GETTING HARDER TO FIND GOOD INVESTMENT

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