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3 Cents 'Three Cent Nickel'
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1865-1889 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The large Roman numeral III, rendered with fine vertical line engraving within each stroke, occupies the central field and denotes the denomination. The numeral is framed by an open laurel wreath, its two branches tied at the base with a ribbon bow, with leafy sprigs meeting at the apex. A beaded border encircles the entire reverse design. |
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| Additional information |
Congress authorized this denomination in 1865 primarily to retire the three-cent silver piece, which had become impractical as silver coins fled circulation during the Civil War. The timing also aligned with the abolition of three-cent postage stamps in 1863, leaving the coin somewhat purposeless almost from birth — it survived in production largely through institutional inertia and the needs of small-change commerce in the Northeast.
The Philadelphia Mint produced the entire run without branch mint participation. By the 1880s annual mintages had collapsed into the thousands, and the denomination was formally abolished in 1890.