1865 Silver Three Cent Piece
Base
About This Coin
The 1865 Silver Three Cent Piece is a United States cent from the Silver Three Cent Pieces 1851-1873 series — 15th of 23 years in the series. In 1865, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 8,500. This ranks 8th of 23 years by total mintage, 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. Produced during the Civil War, when coin hoarding caused severe shortages and the Mint experimented with new compositions to keep coins in circulation. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 0.75 grams, 14.3 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Produced 8 years before the celebrated 1873 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $640 to $2.8K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $180K in MS69 grade at Stack's Bowers. 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.
