1856 Silver Three Cent Piece
Base
About This Coin
The 1856 Silver Three Cent Piece is a United States cent from the Silver Three Cent Pieces 1851-1873 series — 6th of 23 years in the series. In 1856, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 1.5 million. This ranks 19th of 23 years by total mintage, above the series median of 139,050. The obverse features a six-pointed star enclosing a Union shield and the reverse displays a Roman numeral III (three) within a large letter C. Struck during the California Gold Rush era, when vast quantities of western gold transformed the American economy and led to new denominations. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 0.75 grams, 14.3 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $70 to $6.3K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $37K in MS67 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by James Barton Longacre.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
