Years
Designer
James B. Longacre
Composition
75% silver (Type 1); 90% later
Diameter
14 mm
Mass
0.75 g
Thickness
0.8 mm
Edge
Plain
Mints
Philadelphia, New Orleans
Metal
Silver
Design
A six-pointed star bearing a shield; reverse a large Roman III in a C-shaped ornament. Types 1–3 differ in outline and olive sprig.
History
Created to buy postage after the 1851 rate drop to three cents, the trime is the smallest U.S. silver coin. Type 1 (1851–1853) is 75% silver so it would not be melted against the gold influx from California. Types 2 and 3 raised fineness and added devices to fight counterfeiting. New Orleans struck 1851-O, the only branch-mint trime. The denomination died with the Coinage Act of 1873.
Key dates
46 issues