Two Cent and Three Cent Coins With Great Value Increase Records

Other than numismatists, most people do not realize that the United States minted coins with face values of two cents and three cents. The Two Cent coin was produced from 1864-1873. There are two design types of the Three Cent coin: the Silver "Trime" of 1851-1873 and the Copper-Nickel composition, minted 1865-1889.

The Coinage Act of April 22, 1864, which created the small bronze cent, also brought about the Two Cent coin. The obverse depicted a Union Shield, a common image during the Civil War years. The Two Cent coin never caught on with the public, and was discontinued in 1873. The most significant aspect of this short-lived coin is that it was the first United States coin to bear the motto "In God We Trust". This was in response to the religious sentiment embracing the nation during those troubled times.

In 1851, the cost to mail a letter was three cents. Purchasing a postage stamp always required multiple coins or receiving change back. Mint officials sought to make it easier to purchase stamps and reduce the demand for coinage by releasing the Three Cent coin. Composed mostly of silver, it was a tiny coin, and earned the nickname "fish scale" because that's what it resembled in size and appearance. "Trime" was the name later applied to the coin, a word resulting from the combination of "tri" (for three) and "dime" (another small silver coin).

Concerns over the smallish nature of the trime led to the larger copper-nickel Three Cent coin in 1865. It lasted until 1889, but never achieved the popularity that was expected of it.

Because these oddball denominations were never in widespread demand by the American consumer, microscopic mintages were produced for many dates, and all of them have exceptionally high value. Rather than list each key date individually, we'll indicate a date range, where applicable:

Key date Two Cent and Three Cent cent coins are offered for sale below. The left hand side of each "Sales Box" is value trend data over a very long period of time for a coin of that date in Fine-12 or Proof-65 condition. The percent annual increase is computed for comparative purposes. For date ranges, a representative sample date was selected to typify value trends of the group. The coin pictured for sale in the right hand side, if any, is not necessarily the same condition coin or the same date as that represented in the value trend analysis on left hand side.

1864 SM Two Cent Condition: F-12			1872 Two Cent Condition: F-12
Value Trends 1950: $17.50 1980: $80.00 1995: $95.00 2003: $125 2009: $300			Value Trends 1950: $6.50 1980: $80.00 1995: $175 2003: $225 2009: $650
% Annual Increase Since 1950 = 4.93%			% Annual Increase Since 1950 = 8.12%

1873 open 3 Two Cent Condition: PF-65R			1855 Three Cent Silver Condition: F-12
Value Trends 1950: $50.00 1980: $1250 1995: $6000 2003: $6000 2009: $6000			Value Trends 1950: $4.00 1980: $32.00 1995: $50.00 2003: $50.00 2009: $90.00
% Annual Increase Since 1950 = 8.45%			% Annual Increase Since 1950 = 5.42%

1863-1873 Three Cent Silver Condition: PF-65			1877 Three Cent Nick Condition: PF-65
1865 Trends 1950: $20.00 1980: $1100 1995: $1500 2003: $1400 2009: $1500			Value Trends 1950: $75.00 1980: $1750 1995: $1750 2003: $2250 2009: $5000
% Annual Increase Since 1950 = 7.59%			% Annual Increase Since 1950 = 7.38%

1878 Three Cent Nick Condition: PF-65			1883-1887 Three Cent Nick Condition: F-12
Value Trends 1950: $20.00 1980: $600 1995: $650 2003: $650 2009: $1500			1884 Trends 1950: $1.25 1980: $175 1995: $325 2003: $450 2009: $650
% Annual Increase Since 1950 = 7.59%			% Annual Increase Since 1950 = 11.18%

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