3 Cent Piece
There were two different 3 cent pieces made in different time periods that were composed of different metals. There was a silver 3 Cent piece and a nickel 3 cent piece. The Silver 3 cent piece was minted from 1851 - 1873 and the Nickel 3 cent piece was struck from 1865 - 1889. Like the 2 cent piece, the 3 cent piece was eventually retired because of the popular nickel 5 cent denomination.
Silver 3-Cent Piece (1851 - 1873)
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The 3 Cent piece is the smallest of all U.S. Silver coins. Because it was struck in silver, the public hoarded it along with other coins when the civil war broke out. Since the 3 cent and 2 cent pieces were needed to ease the coin shortage caused by war, the U.S. mint decided to strike the copper-nickel as well.
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Nickel 3-Cent Piece (1865 - 1889)
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The 3 cent Nickel, so called because of its metal composition, was well received by the public. This coin helped the nation retire the unpopular 3 cent paper notes issued during the Civil War. Once the majority of notes had been exchanged for 3 cent coins, and production of 5 cent nickels and cents increased, the banks needed fewer 3 cent pieces.
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