1861 Three-Cent Silver Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 0.75 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 1861 Three-Cent Silver Proof worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1861 is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- 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 1861 Three-Cent Silver Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 1,000 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1861 Three-Cent Silver Proof silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0217 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1861 Three-Cent Silver?
- No mint mark. Struck in Philadelphia.
- How many 1861 Three-Cent Silver proofs were made?
- 1,000.
What to check on your 1861
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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.
Proofs from 1861 were struck one at a time in small numbers and many were later spent or mishandled. Look for hairlines from cleaning, which lower the grade.
The story of the 1861
Type 3 brings better strikes (1859 to 1862)
In 1859 the star outline was reduced to two lines and the coins struck up much more sharply. The lower relief let the dies fill properly, so stars, shield lines and the III show clearly on most coins. Mintages ran between 286,000 and 497,000 a year from 1859 to 1862, high enough that these dates are easy to find.
The 1862/1 overdate is a popular variety of this period. Proofs reached 1,000 in 1860 and 1861. Coins of these years are the best choice for a well-struck example of the denomination because they combine good mintages with the improved design. Uncirculated pieces often show attractive toning. The 1862 was the last year with a mintage in the hundreds of thousands.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1861
The Civil War began. Confederate forces seized the branch mints at New Orleans, Charlotte and Dahlonega. New Orleans struck some half dollars under Confederate control before closing.
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 | 1861 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 1,000 |
| Face value | 3¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 0.75 grams |
| Diameter | 14 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Silver content | 0.0217 troy oz (0.675 g) |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Other 1861 Three-Cent Silver issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1861 Three-Cent Silver | 497,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0217 oz |
| 1861 Three-Cent Silver Proof | 1,000 | Proof | 0.0217 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.