1856 3CS MS63 Certification #50210814, PCGS #3672

CoinFacts Details

Expert Comments

Charles Morgan

The 1856 Three Cent Silver

The Three-Cent Silver piece debuted in 1851 (#3664), with annual mintages exceeding the one-million-coin mark seven times throughout the 1850s. For a country with a population of just over 23 million, the Philadelphia Mint produced enough silver "trimes" during the decade for every man, woman, and child in America to have one.

Following gargantuan mintages of 18,663,500 in 1852 (#3666) and 11,400,000 in 1853 (#3667), demand for new coinage tapered off sharply. The 1,458,000 pieces struck at Philadelphia in 1856 represented a dramatic rebound from the previous year's meager mintage of 139,000, likely driven by renewed commercial demand.

Production of the 1856 Three-Cent Silver (#3672) began on April 3 and concluded on October 29 across seven distinct mint deliveries:

1856 Three-Cent Silver Coins Production
April 3	140,000 struck	April 29	160,000 struck
May 22	300,000 struck	June 14	122,000 struck
August 9	310,000 struck	September 30	340,000 struck
October 29	86,000 struck	Total: 1,458,000 coins

This substantial output makes the 1856 one of the more available dates in the series today. Hundreds of Mint State examples survive, concentrated mostly between PCGS MS62 and PCGS MS64. While Gems are scarce rather than rare, pieces in PCGS MS66 become extremely elusive. At the PCGS MS67 level, the 1856 Three-Cent Silver is a supreme condition rarity.

Strike quality can be uneven, with coins often exhibiting weakness along the peripheral legends and stars. However, die clash marks are far less troublesome on this issue than on the 1855.

Vintage Market Snippet

In their advertisement for the February 1978 issue of The Numismatist, dealers Abner Kreisberg and Jerry Cohen offered an 1856 Three-Cent Silver piece described as “BU – A lovely example” for $475.

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PCGS #

3672

Designer

James Barton Longacre

Edge

Plain

Diameter

14.30 millimeters

Weight

0.75 grams

Mintage

1458000

Metal

90% Silver, 10% Copper

Pop Higher

146

Pop Lower

422

Region

The United States of America

Price Guide

PCGS Population

Auctions - PCGS Graded

Auctions - NGC Graded

Rarity and Survival Estimates Learn More

Grades	Survival Estimate The Survival Estimate represents an average of one or more experts opinions as to how many examples survive of a particular coin in three categories: 1) all grades, 2) 60 or better, and 3) 65 or better. These estimates are based on a variety of sources, including population reports, auction appearances, and personal knowledge. Survival estimates include coins that are raw, certified by PCGS, and certified by other grading services.	Numismatic Rarity Numismatic Rarity converts the Survival Estimate for a particular coin into a number from 1 to 10 (with decimal increments) based on the PCGS Rarity Scale. The higher the number, the more rare the coin.	Relative Rarity by Type Relative Rarity By Type ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Type. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.	Relative Rarity by Series Relative Rarity By Series ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Series. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.
65 or Better	2000	R-4.6	3 / 5	14 / 25 TIE
All Grades	400	R-6.2	2 / 5 TIE	13 / 25 TIE
60 or Better	60	R-8.4	2 / 5	9 / 25 TIE

Survival Estimate The Survival Estimate represents an average of one or more experts opinions as to how many examples survive of a particular coin in three categories: 1) all grades, 2) 60 or better, and 3) 65 or better. These estimates are based on a variety of sources, including population reports, auction appearances, and personal knowledge. Survival estimates include coins that are raw, certified by PCGS, and certified by other grading services.
65 or Better	2000
All Grades	400
60 or Better	60

Numismatic Rarity Numismatic Rarity converts the Survival Estimate for a particular coin into a number from 1 to 10 (with decimal increments) based on the PCGS Rarity Scale. The higher the number, the more rare the coin.
65 or Better	R-4.6
All Grades	R-6.2
60 or Better	R-8.4

Relative Rarity by Type Relative Rarity By Type ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Type. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.
65 or Better	3 / 5
All Grades	2 / 5 TIE
60 or Better	2 / 5

Relative Rarity by Series Relative Rarity By Series ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Series. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.
65 or Better	14 / 25 TIE
All Grades	13 / 25 TIE
60 or Better	9 / 25 TIE

Condition Census Learn More

Pos	Grade	Pedigree and History
1	PCGS MS67+	As PCGS MS66 #5818214. Bowers and Merena, March 2005, Lot 203; “The Eugene H. Gardner Collection, Part III,” Heritage Auctions, May 12, 2015, Lot 98101 – $23,500. As PCGS MS67 #25684957. Heritage Auctions, August 2015, Lot 3953 – $28,200. As PCGS MS67+ #40322946. “The Bob R. Simpson Collection, Part I,” Heritage Auctions, September 17, 2020, Lot 10018 – $31,200.
2	PCGS MS67	Heritage Auctions, July 20, 2023, Lot 3020 – $37,200.
3	PCGS MS66+	As PCGS MS66 #25200248. Heritage Auctions, July 9, 2015, Lot 3032 – $15,275. As PCGS MS66+ #25650197. Legend Rare Coin Auctions, December 17, 2015, Lot 57 – $1,468.75. Upgraded by one-half point. As PCGS MS66+ #83246004. Legend Rare Coin Auctions, July 13, 2017, Lot 97 – $16,450.
3	PCGS MS66+	“The Bob R. Simpson Collection,” Heritage Auctions, January 7, 2016, Lot 5279 – $9,400.
3	PCGS MS66+

#1 PCGS MS67+

As PCGS MS66 #5818214. Bowers and Merena, March 2005, Lot 203; “The Eugene H. Gardner Collection, Part III,” Heritage Auctions, May 12, 2015, Lot 98101 – $23,500. As PCGS MS67 #25684957. Heritage Auctions, August 2015, Lot 3953 – $28,200. As PCGS MS67+ #40322946. “The Bob R. Simpson Collection, Part I,” Heritage Auctions, September 17, 2020, Lot 10018 – $31,200.

#2 PCGS MS67

Heritage Auctions, July 20, 2023, Lot 3020 – $37,200.

#3 PCGS MS66+

As PCGS MS66 #25200248. Heritage Auctions, July 9, 2015, Lot 3032 – $15,275. As PCGS MS66+ #25650197. Legend Rare Coin Auctions, December 17, 2015, Lot 57 – $1,468.75. Upgraded by one-half point. As PCGS MS66+ #83246004. Legend Rare Coin Auctions, July 13, 2017, Lot 97 – $16,450.

#3 PCGS MS66+

“The Bob R. Simpson Collection,” Heritage Auctions, January 7, 2016, Lot 5279 – $9,400.

#3 PCGS MS66+