1873 Silver Three Cent Piece
Base
About This Coin
The 1873 Silver Three Cent Piece is a United States cent from the Silver Three Cent Pieces 1851-1873 series — the final year of the series. In 1873, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 600. This represents the lowest annual mintage in the entire series, below 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. The final year of the Silver Three-Cent Piece, discontinued under the Coinage Act of 1873 along with the half dime and two-cent piece. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 0.75 grams, 14.3 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Estimated market value across variants is approximately $2.4K. A notable auction result reached $9.8K in PR67 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.
Specifications
Strike Types & Varieties(1)
Other Base Coins in This Series
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