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
1853 ALMOST UNCIRCULATED Three Cent Silver, Type One
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US 1852 3 CENTS VF & XF CONDITION
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1854 SILVER 3 CENT COIN IN FINE CONIDTION
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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
US 1881 3 CENTS AUNC CONDITION
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1867 3-cent Nickel XF + and original !
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1865 Three Cent Nickel ( Civil War Era Coin ) lot2480
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