1851-O Three-Cent Silver
Circulation strike struck at the New Orleans Mint · 720,000 made
- Mintage
- 720,000
- Metal
- 75% silver, 25% copper
- Weight
- 0.8 g
- Diameter
- 14 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1851-O Three-Cent Silver worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face and above their metal value. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1851-O Three-Cent Silver rare?
- Somewhat. 720,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1851-O Three-Cent Silver silver?
- Yes. It's 75% silver, 25% copper and holds 0.0193 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1851 Three-Cent Silver?
- On the reverse, to the right of the Roman numeral III (1851-O only). On this coin the mark is O, for New Orleans.
- How many 1851-O Three-Cent Silver coins were made?
- 720,000.
What to check on your 1851-O
- Make sure the mint mark really is a O. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1851 (5.4 million made).
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. The star's outlines and the shield at its center show wear first. These thin coins are often bent or damaged.
Never clean it. Collectors pay strong premiums for original surfaces and natural toning on a date like this. A cleaned coin can lose half its value or more.
The story of the 1851-O
1851 was the first year of the Three-Cent Silver. New Orleans struck 720,000 of them. It turned out to be New Orleans's last Three-Cent Silver for circulation.
The other mint made far more that year: 1851 alone came to 5.4 million, roughly 7.6 for every 1851-O. If you're checking a pile of 1851 coins, the O is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1854 (671,000) and the 1857 (1,042,000).
It also marks a change of metal: 1851 is the first year of the Three-Cent Silver in 75% silver, 25% copper, which lasted until 1853.
Type 1 trimes for the postage rate (1851 to 1853)
The Act of March 3, 1851 cut the letter postage rate to three cents and created a small silver three-cent piece to pay it. James B. Longacre's design shows a six-pointed star with a shield on one side and a C with the Roman numeral III on the other. At 0.80 grams it is the lightest silver coin the United States has struck.
Type 1 coins are 75 percent silver and have no outline around the star. Philadelphia struck 18,663,500 in 1852. New Orleans struck 720,000 in 1851, the only branch mint three-cent piece. The low silver content kept them in circulation while full-weight silver coins were being hoarded. Survivors are common in worn grades and are frequently bent or holed.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1851
The three-cent silver piece was introduced in 1851 so people could buy the new three-cent postage stamps. It was the lightest coin the United States has ever issued.
How to recognize it
The smallest US silver coin shows a six-pointed star with a shield in its center and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around it. The reverse has a Roman numeral III inside an ornate letter C, surrounded by 13 stars. Type 1 (1851 to 1853) has no outline around the star, Type 2 (1854 to 1858) has three lines and Type 3 (1859 to 1873) has two.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Three-Cent Silver (1851–1873) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1851 |
| Mint | New Orleans Mint |
| Mint mark | "O" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 720,000 |
| Face value | 3¢ |
| Composition | 75% silver, 25% copper |
| Weight | 0.8 grams |
| Diameter | 14 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Silver content | 0.0193 troy oz (0.600 g) |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Other 1851 Three-Cent Silver issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 Three-Cent Silver | 5,447,400 | Circulation strike | 0.0193 oz |
| 1851-O Three-Cent Silver | 720,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0193 oz |
Mintage: Three-cent silver (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.