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Three Cent Piece

Three Cent Piece (Type 1)

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.

Three Cent Silver (Type 2)

     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.

Three Cent Silver (Type 3)

     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.

 

Three Cent Nickel

     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.

 

 

 

Grading Three Cent Silver Coins

 

 

Three Cent Piece (Silver) Fair Market Values in U.S. Dollars (1851-1873)

Date/TypeG4VG8F12VF20XF40AU50AU53AU55AU58MS60PR60
(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

1853 ALMOST UNCIRCULATED Three Cent Silver, Type One 1853 ALMOST UNCIRCULATED Three Cent Silver, Type One Paypal three cent piece US $129.99 1h 6m
US 1852 3 CENTS  VF  &  XF  CONDITION US 1852 3 CENTS VF & XF CONDITION Paypal 0 Bid US $39.95 3h 22m
1853  Three Cent Silver 1853 Three Cent Silver Paypal 2 Bids US $10.49 11h 3m
1852 THREE CENT SILVER COIN VG 1852 THREE CENT SILVER COIN VG Paypal three cent piece US $45.00 11h 12m
1852 THREE CENT SILVER TYPE COIN G VG 1852 THREE CENT SILVER TYPE COIN G VG Paypal three cent piece US $32.00 11h 12m
1858 Silver 3-Cent Piece Great Detail Very Fine #242 1858 Silver 3-Cent Piece Great Detail Very Fine #242 Paypal three cent piece US $49.95 13h 34m
1881 US Coin 3 Cent Fine 1881 US Coin 3 Cent Fine Paypal three cent piece US $20.00 14h 17m
1861 SILVER 3 CENT COIN IN FINE CONIDTION 1861 SILVER 3 CENT COIN IN FINE CONIDTION Paypal 4 Bids US $10.50 17h 3m
1854 SILVER 3 CENT COIN IN FINE CONIDTION 1854 SILVER 3 CENT COIN IN FINE CONIDTION Paypal 7 Bids US $11.61 17h 5m
1853 SILVER 3 CENT COIN IN FINE CONIDTION 1853 SILVER 3 CENT COIN IN FINE CONIDTION Paypal 2 Bids US $5.24 17h 7m

 

 

 

 

Grading Three Cent Nickels

 

 

Three Cent Nickel Fair Market Values in U.S. Dollars (1865-1889)

DateG4VG8F12VF20XF40AU50AU53AU55AU58MS60PR60
(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

US 1881 3 CENTS  AUNC CONDITION US 1881 3 CENTS AUNC CONDITION Paypal 0 Bid US $69.95 3h 42m
1867 3-cent Nickel XF +  and original ! 1867 3-cent Nickel XF + and original ! Paypal 2 Bids US $15.65 6h 55m
1865 Three Cents, Fine 1865 Three Cents, Fine Paypal 1 Bid US $9.99 8h 1m
1866 Three Cents, Fine 1866 Three Cents, Fine Paypal 1 Bid US $6.99 8h 3m
1868 United States 3-Cent Nickel 1868 United States 3-Cent Nickel Paypal 0 Bid US $9.99 9h 1m
1869 Three Cent Nickel VG 1869 Three Cent Nickel VG Paypal three cent piece US $14.95 10h 4m
4 1865 3 CENT NICKELS-CIVIL WAR DATE-CHEAP-L@@K-reduced 4 1865 3 CENT NICKELS-CIVIL WAR DATE-CHEAP-L@@K-reduced Paypal 1 Bid US $34.00 10h 33m
1865 3 CENT NICKEL F        **STORE** 1865 3 CENT NICKEL F **STORE** Paypal three cent piece US $17.00 10h 45m
1867 THREE CENT NICKEL TYPE COIN FINE 1867 THREE CENT NICKEL TYPE COIN FINE Paypal three cent piece US $19.00 11h 12m
1865 Three Cent Nickel ( Civil War Era Coin ) lot2480 1865 Three Cent Nickel ( Civil War Era Coin ) lot2480 Paypal three cent piece US $35.00 11h 23m