Years
Designer
James B. Longacre
Composition
75% copper, 25% nickel
Diameter
17.9 mm
Mass
1.94 g
Thickness
1.2 mm
Edge
Plain
Mints
Philadelphia
Metal
Nickel
Design
Liberty in a coronet; reverse a Roman III in a laurel wreath. The hard alloy left many weakly struck.
History
A Civil War leftover meant to retire the three-cent fractional currency notes. It outlived the silver trime and then died of irrelevance as the nickel five-cent piece took over. 1877–78 and 1886 are proof-only or near so; late dates are low-mintage.
Key dates
25 issues