Values
A silver three-cent piece’s market depends on the type, the date, and whether the star still has an outline. This page is a series reference, not a price list.
The mintage chart leaves the grade columns blank. The NGC US Coin Price Guide extract this site keeps, retrieved 2026-08-21, has no silver three-cent cells. Do not price a trime from the mintage.
A dealer looking at the coin will beat a type label. If you are selling a handful of small silver, start with how to sell a coin collection.
Key Dates
This page will not invent a key list and will not bold a row. 1851-O is the only New Orleans coin, and the later dates were struck in small numbers. Small is not the same as a named key. A worn 1852 is still the common Type 1.
Errors
The type change is the thing people mix up. It is not an error.
Type 1, 1851–1853. One star, no extra outlines, heavier planchet, 75 percent silver. 1851 comes with and without an O.
Type 2, 1854–1858. Three outlines around the star, lighter 90 percent silver planchet. The arrows people expect on other 1853 silver are not this coin.
Type 3, 1859–1873. One outline around the star, same lighter planchet as Type 2. 1873 is proof-only and is not a row.
Compare a coin to the NGC Coin Explorer silver three-cent page. We do not host their plates.
Varieties
Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 are the series. The outline on the star is the design. The 1854 weight change is a spec change. Read the star before you read the date.
- Type 1, 1851–1853A plain star, no extra outlines, on the heavier 75 percent silver planchet. 1851 comes with and without an O. The O is New Orleans.
- Type 2, 1854–1858Three outlines around the star, on the lighter 90 percent silver planchet. The arrows people expect on other 1853 silver are not this coin.
- Type 3, 1859–1873One outline around the star, on the same lighter planchet as Type 2. 1873 is proof-only and is not a row.
Names follow PCGS CoinFacts and NGC, the same publishers this site already cites. This is a name list, not a price list and not a count.
Mintage
The counts below are circulation strikes. Proofs stay off.
| Year | Mint | Mintage | G | VF | MS-63 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | P | 5,447,400 Type 1. Heavier 75 percent silver planchet. One star, no extra outlines. | — | — | — |
| 1851 | O | 720,000 The only branch-mint three-cent silver. | — | — | — |
| 1852 | P | 18,663,500 Type 1. Heavier 75 percent silver planchet. One star, no extra outlines. | — | — | — |
| 1853 | P | 11,400,000 Type 1. Heavier 75 percent silver planchet. One star, no extra outlines. | — | — | — |
| 1854 | P | 671,000 Type 2. Lighter 90 percent silver planchet. Three outlines on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1855 | P | 139,000 Type 2. Lighter 90 percent silver planchet. Three outlines on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1856 | P | 1,458,000 Type 2. Lighter 90 percent silver planchet. Three outlines on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1857 | P | 1,042,000 Type 2. Lighter 90 percent silver planchet. Three outlines on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1858 | P | 1,603,700 Type 2. Lighter 90 percent silver planchet. Three outlines on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1859 | P | 364,200 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1860 | P | 286,000 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1861 | P | 497,000 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1862 | P | 343,000 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1863 | P | 21,000 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1864 | P | 12,000 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1865 | P | 8,000 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1866 | P | 22,000 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1867 | P | 4,000 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1868 | P | 3,500 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1869 | P | 4,500 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1870 | P | 3,000 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1871 | P | 3,400 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
| 1872 | P | 1,000 Type 3. Same lighter planchet as Type 2. One outline on the star. | — | — | — |
Mintage: the note under this table names the page that printed each count. These figures are not an NGC Coin Explorer extract and they are not the 1974 Mint pamphlet.
Collector-standard year/mint presentation follows A Guide Book of United States Coins (the Red Book). These cells are Mint manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Values: NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-21. Guide values, not offers. Not melt. NGC IDs link to the same publisher’s price-guide listing.
Key date names: PCGS CoinFacts (2026-08-21). Bold rows are only dates that publisher named.
Circulation strikes from the Wikipedia three-cent silver table, which cites Yeoman, retrieved 2026-10-06. Proofs stay off. 1873 is proof-only. Type 1 is 1851–1853. Type 2 is 1854–1858. Type 3 is 1859–1873.
The figures are the circulation column on the Wikipedia three-cent silver table, which cites Yeoman. 1873 is proof-only and stays off. Grade cells are empty.
Read the star before you read the date. The outline tells you the type.
Specifications
These are mint specs, not what a dealer pays. Wear can take a little weight off. We will not invent a tolerance. The series changed weight and fineness in 1854. That is two planchets, not one.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 14 mm |
| Thickness | Not printed |
| Weight | 0.80 g Type 1 (1851–1853); 0.75 g Type 2 and Type 3 |
| Composition | 1851–1853 is 75% silver, 25% copper. 1854–1873 is 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Diameter 14 mm is on all three Numista type pages. Type 1 weight 0.80 g and 75% silver are N#1129 (1851–1853). Type 2 weight 0.75 g and 90% silver are N#4727 (1854–1858). Type 3 uses that same later planchet on N#2702 (1859–1873). None of those pages prints a thickness. This is not the three-cent nickel.
Grading
A silver three-cent piece wears first on the star points and the Roman III. The coin is tiny. A bend is damage, not a type.
Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 are outline and planchet changes. They are not grades. The three-cent nickel is a different coin.
Key Diagnostic Areas
| Area | What to examine | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| The star | The points, the shield, and how many outlines surround the star. | Outlines tell Type 2 from Type 3. Missing outlines on a Type 1 are the design. Missing outlines on a Type 2 are wear. |
| Roman III | The III inside the C on the reverse. | The numerals go flat while the rim can still look full. |
| Planchet | Bends, holes, and scratches on a coin this small. | A hole is damage. Do not call it a rare date because it is bent. |
| Date and mint mark | The date, and the O on 1851 only. | 1851-O is the only branch mint. A worn date is still a worn trime. |
Circulated & Mint State
These cards describe this coin, not a second copy of the P-1 through MS-70 chart. The shared numbers live on the glossary.
See graded photos. The photos that show what VF looks like live at PCGS. We do not host their plates. NGC Coin Explorer is another look if you want a second set.
What each named grade looks like on this design.
Poor
Poor
A disk you can still call a silver three-cent piece if you already know the type.
- The star points and the III are gone.
- The date may be a shadow. Do not scrape it.
- Shine does not make this a better coin.
AG
About Good
You might read a digit. The high points on this silver three-cent piece are already slick.
- The star points and the III are worn to a blank patch.
- If you cannot read the date without hoping, stay here.
- A 1852 is still this grade if it is this worn.
Good
Good
The date is readable. The design is still mostly an outline.
- The star points and the III are flat. The type is an outline, not a portrait.
- The rim should be full enough to hold the legend.
- This is a worn coin, not a details story.
VG
Very Good
The date is clear. A little life returns away from the high points.
- Some leftover detail sits away from the star points and the iii.
- The high points are still tired.
- Do not clean the date to “see it better.”
Fine
Fine
You can follow the design. The high points are outlined, not sharp.
- The star points and the III are outlined and flat — no real sharpness yet.
- The rest of the coin can look busier than the grade.
- The date should be clear. The mint mark should be too, if there is one.
VF
Very Fine
The type is doing real work. The star points and the III still decide.
- Leftover detail sits on the star points and the iii. The centers are still the worn spot.
- Marks do not raise the grade.
- A regular 1852 is still this grade if it is this worn.
EF
Extremely Fine
Most of the coin looks sharp. The high points tell on it.
- Light wear on the star points and the iii.
- The rest of the coin can look better than the grade. Trust the high points.
- The date should be sharp.
AU
About Uncirculated
Almost no wear — and “almost” lives on the same high points.
- A trace of rub on the star points and the iii.
- Luster may still sit in the fields. Rub on those high points is still rub.
- A bright coin with a slick high point is still slick.
Basal MS
Mint State
No wear. The fight is marks and luster, not how white the coin looks.
- No rub on the star points and the iii.
- Marks and luster decide how this mint-state coin lives.
- A bright chewed-up coin is still chewed-up.
Choice
Choice Mint State
Still no wear. Cleaner fields than basal mint state.
- Same no-wear rule on the star points and the iii.
- Fewer marks in the fields. Luster is more intact.
- White is not a grade.
Gem
Gem Mint State
A clean silver three-cent piece for this type. Still mint state, still not a story.
- No wear on the star points and the iii.
- Marks and luster, not a romance about a date or a white field.
- A slab is an opinion in plastic. The glossary has the numbers.
Proofs exist, and 1873 is proof-only. This page does not invent a PR price grid. The proof numbers live on the glossary.
Copper color designations do not apply to this silver coin. See the Lincoln Wheat cent and the glossary.
Overview
A three-cent silver piece, the trime, is the tiny silver coin of 1851–1873 with a star on the front and a Roman III on the back. James B. Longacre designed it. The Treasury wanted a coin that matched the old Spanish “fip” and the three-cent postage rate. It is not the three-cent nickel.
People like them because they are small enough to miss in a drawer. They are also easy to bend. A bent trime is damaged.
This page is a series article, not a shop listing.
History
Congress authorized the coin on March 3, 1851. The first issues were 75 percent silver so they would not be hoarded as fast as the heavier silver coins. In 1854 the weight dropped and the fineness rose to 90 percent, and the star gained outlines. Demand fell after the Civil War. The three-cent nickel started in 1865 and carried the denomination in circulation. Silver three-cent pieces lingered in small mintages through 1872. 1873 is proof-only on this page.
Design
Obverse: a six-pointed star with the shield of the United States, the legend, and the date. Type 2 adds three outlines. Type 3 keeps one. Reverse: a Roman III inside a C-shaped ornament. The O mint mark, 1851 only, sits on the reverse.
Look at the star points and the III. Those are the high points on a coin the size of a fingernail. A missing outline on a Type 1 is the design. A missing outline on a Type 2 is wear.
People Also Ask
What years are silver three-cent pieces?
Circulation strikes run from 1851 through 1872. 1873 is proof-only and stays off this chart. Philadelphia struck every year. 1851-O is the only branch-mint coin in the series.
How much is a three-cent silver worth?
It depends on the type, the date, and the grade. This chart does not print guide prices. A tiny silver coin with a hole or a bend is a damaged coin, not a rare type.
What is Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3?
Type 1, 1851–1853, is the heavier 75 percent silver piece with a plain star. Type 2, 1854–1858, and Type 3, 1859–1873, are the lighter 90 percent silver pieces. Type 2 has three outlines on the star. Type 3 has one. The weight change is a spec change. The outline change is a design change on the same later planchet.
Is this the three-cent nickel?
No. The three-cent nickel is the cupronickel coin of 1865–1889. It has its own page. A silver trime is smaller and white. A nickel three-cent is larger and pale gold.
Collector Considerations
Buy the type you can see. A problem-free Type 1 teaches the star better than a holed 1851-O. A hole is damage. Say so.
Keep them in a flip. They bend in a pocket. The coin dealer directory is the place to start, not a guess at melt. This site will not invent a fine-silver number for a planchet the melt calculator does not list.
For the cupronickel coin that replaced it in everyday use, read the three-cent nickel. For the half dime struck beside it, read the Seated Liberty half dime.
A Final Word
Silver three-cent pieces reward a steady hand and a good light. Read the outlines. Do not straighten a bent one.
When you want the nickel three-cent, that page is already here.