1870 Three-Cent Silver Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 0.75 g
- Diameter
- 14 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1870 Three-Cent Silver Proof worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1870 is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1870 Three-Cent Silver Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 1,000 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1870 Three-Cent Silver Proof silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0217 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1870 Three-Cent Silver?
- No mint mark. Struck in Philadelphia.
- How many 1870 Three-Cent Silver proofs were made?
- 1,000.
What to check on your 1870
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Judge the grade under good light. The star's outlines and the shield at its center show wear first. These thin coins are often bent or damaged.
Proofs from 1870 were struck one at a time in small numbers and many were later spent or mishandled. Look for hairlines from cleaning, which lower the grade.
The story of the 1870
Hoarding and the proof-only years (1863 to 1873)
When silver was hoarded during the Civil War, the three-cent silver stopped circulating. Philadelphia struck only 21,000 in 1863 and no more than 22,000 a year after that, falling to 1,000 in 1872. The copper-nickel three-cent piece of 1865 took over its role in commerce. Proof sets of these years included the coin.
Proofs were struck each year, often in numbers close to or above the business strikes, so proofs of these dates are easier to find than circulation strikes. The 1873 was made only as a proof with a closed 3, after which the Coinage Act of 1873 ended the denomination. Many business strikes of these years were later melted. Worn examples of the late dates are rare and are sometimes mistaken for impaired proofs.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1870
The Carson City Mint in Nevada began striking coins in 1870, using silver from the Comstock Lode. Its "CC" mint mark is now among the most sought after.
How to recognize it
The smallest US silver coin shows a six-pointed star with a shield in its center and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around it. The reverse has a Roman numeral III inside an ornate letter C, surrounded by 13 stars. Type 1 (1851 to 1853) has no outline around the star, Type 2 (1854 to 1858) has three lines and Type 3 (1859 to 1873) has two.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Three-Cent Silver (1851–1873) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1870 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 1,000 |
| Face value | 3¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 0.75 grams |
| Diameter | 14 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Silver content | 0.0217 troy oz (0.675 g) |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Other 1870 Three-Cent Silver issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 Three-Cent Silver | 3,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0217 oz |
| 1870 Three-Cent Silver Proof | 1,000 | Proof | 0.0217 oz |
Mintage: Three-cent silver (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.