1866 3CS MS(PCGS#3686)

February 2026 Showcase Auction - The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection Part II

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

25099

Grade

MS67+

Price

16,200

Lot Description

Outstanding, virtually unsurpassable quality in a survivor of this low mintage silver three-cent issue. Both sides are richly original in preservation with blended steel gray, rose-russet, cobalt blue and antique gold patina. Smooth and lustrous, the surfaces also sport razor sharp detail to even the most intricate design elements.<p>The usefulness of this denomination, such as it ever was, had largely passed by the late 1850s, by which time enough lower weight coins in half dime through half dollar denominations had entered circulation after passage of the Act of February 21, 1853. The start of the Civil War was the final nail in the coffin of the silver three-cent piece, as domestic hoarding and export drove silver coins from circulation in the East and Midwest. Even so, circulation strike coinage of the denomination limped along at (much) reduced levels through 1872. Only 22,000 coins were delivered in this format in 1866, and this premium Superb Gem is one of the very finest available to today's discerning collectors.