Public domain — US Mint (coin), National Numismatic Collection (photograph by Jaclyn Nash)
Three Cent · $0.03
1873 Three Cent Nickel (1865-1889)
Closed 3; Open 3
Key Features
Total 1873 mintage: 1,173,000 (Closed 3 and Open 3 combined). Source: PCGS CoinFacts.
Intriguing History
The three-cent nickel survived the Coinage Act of 1873, which ended its silver cousin, the three-cent silver piece. Early 1873 dates used a Closed 3 whose knobs nearly touched. Chief Coiner A. Loudon Snowden complained it could be mistaken for an 8, so engravers under Chief Engraver William Barber cut an Open 3 partway through the year.
Total Weight1.94 g