Three Cent Piece

The Three Cent Piece goes back to the time of when gold was found in California. Thousands and thousands of miners flocked to California for their fortune and fame, and before you knew massive amounts of gold was flooding the market which brought the amount of gold down and the price of silver up. Since there was a shortage of silver heading to the mint, few silver coins were minted as a result. At the time, the postal service was also considering reducing the amount of the United States postage stamp to 3 cents, it seemed like a good idea from congress to make the three cent piece for a convenience for purchasing stamps.

Silver Three Cent Piece

United States Congress authorized the production of the three cent piece on March 3, 1851, and gave the project to James B. Longacre. Of course, this was one of Longacre's most challenging designs, since the sheer size of the coin was so small. So, of course, the chief engraver brought out his new coin, and the mint produced about 36, 320, 900 coins. The front of the coin bares a shield surrounded by a six-point star. The rim of the coin is written the United States of America and the date at the bottom of the coin. On the reverse has the roman numeral Three with a beaded C with olive leaves above the three and arrows and tied in a bow beneath it. Thirteen stars are along the rim of the coin. The three cent piece measures about 14 millimeters in diameter, it weighed .80 grams, and had a composition of .75 silver and .25 copper. The coin was minted in Philadelphia and in New Orleans. Congress changed the weight of the coin to .75 grams added more silver to .90 silver and lessened the copper to .10.