This is an 1852 silver three cent piece or trime as they were called back in the day. Back in the mid 1800's a stamp only cost three cents which is the reason for this seldom seen coin and three dollar coins which were used to buy sheets of 100. There are a few different varieties for this series involving different numbers of lines around the star and an olive sprig above and a bundle of arrows below the III. This date had the highest mintage and is worth about $25.00-$30.00. There was also a copper-nickel version with a different design that was issued because of silver hoarding during and after the Civil War. It was dime sized and not very popular because people would use it as a dime in machines or spend it as a dime in stores. They were soon phased out and not seen plentifully in circulation again.
I also heard many were melted during the Civil War but I have no idea the amount. It is a great design.
ReplyDeleteThe book says "Nearly the entire production of non-proof coins from 1863 to 1872 was melted in 1873." I suspect many were melted during the civil war too because mine with the mintage of over 18 million is worth the same in good condition as one with a mintage of 286,000.
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