1861 3CS MS(PCGS#3679)

Spring 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2192

Grade

MS66

Price

1,440

Lot Description

Silver three-cent production increased one final time in 1861, as the Philadelphia Mint received orders to coin large numbers of subsidiary silver coins to support the Demand Notes issued that year. This paper currency was required to meet the financial needs of the Union war effort. No longer a popular denomination in circulation, however, the 1861 trime saw only limited commercial use at the time before the suspension of silver specie payments in the East and Midwest the following year resulted in the hoarding, export and/or melting of most examples. Yet even so, enough Mint State coins were initially kept from circulation, then safely secured as part of domestic bullion reserves, to rank the 1861 among the more popular candidates to represent the Type III three-cent silver design. Lightly toned over billowy mint luster, the offered example in premium Gem preservation will please discerning collectors.