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3 Cents type 1 - no lines bordering star
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1851-1853 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | KM#75 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A large, stylized open letter C — ornamented with scrolled terminals and a decorative panel of alternating circles and lozenges along its left arm — frames the bold Roman numeral III at center, denoting the three-cent denomination. Thirteen six-pointed stars are arranged in a ring around the periphery of the field, referencing the original thirteen states. The field is otherwise plain, giving the design a clean, classical appearance consistent with Longacre's mid-19th-century style. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Congress authorized the three-cent silver piece in March 1851 primarily to facilitate the purchase of the newly reduced three-cent postage stamp, itself a product of the Post Office's attempt to undercut private mail carriers. The coin's unusually low silver fineness — 75% rather than the standard 90% — was deliberate: it discouraged melting at a time when silver bullion prices were climbing on the back of California Gold Rush-driven monetary disruption.
The Type 1 variety, struck only during these first three years, lacks the additional outlines bordering the central star that later types carry. Philadelphia produced the vast majority; New Orleans struck a small quantity in 1851, the only branch mint issue in the entire series.