1862 Three Cent Silver - NGC MS61

Mintage of 363,000 / NGC Pop: 53 90% Silver Designed by James Barton Longacre The three-cent coin was first proposed in 1851 both as a result of the decrease in postage rates from five cents to three as well as to answer the need for a small-denomination, easy-to-handle coin. The three-cent silver featured a shield on a six-sided star on the obverse and the roman numeral III on the reverse. The coin was initially composed of 75% silver and 25% copper to ensure that the coin would be considered real currency yet not worth being melted down for the silver. The coins were physically the lightest-weight coins ever minted by the United States, weighing only 0.8 grams.