1873 Two-Cent Piece Proof (Open 3)
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 600 made
- Mintage
- 600
- Metal
- 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc
- Weight
- 6.22 g
- Diameter
- 23 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 1873 Two-Cent Piece Proof (Open 3) worth?
Few coins in the series are harder to find. Even a worn 1873 sells well above face value. The flip side is that counterfeits and altered dates are common, so authentication matters.
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 1873 Two-Cent Piece Proof (Open 3) rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 600 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1873 Two-Cent Piece?
- No mint mark. All two-cent pieces were struck in Philadelphia.
- How many 1873 Two-Cent Piece Proof (Open 3) coins were made?
- 600.
What to check on your 1873
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the word WE on the motto ribbon and the leaves around the shield. Full red copper is rare.
Proofs from 1873 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 1873
Declining demand and the proof-only finale (1867 to 1873)
Once copper-nickel three-cent pieces and nickels were in circulation, demand for the two-cent piece fell year after year, from 2,938,750 in 1867 to 721,250 in 1871. The 1867 doubled die obverse shows clear doubling in the motto. Mintages for 1868 to 1870 continued the slide. Proofs were made every year of the period in runs of several hundred.
The 1872 had only 65,000 business strikes and is scarce. In 1873 only proofs were made, with closed 3 originals and open 3 restrikes, before the Coinage Act of 1873 abolished the denomination. Many two-cent pieces were later redeemed and melted, so circulated coins of the later dates are much scarcer than the early ones. The 1872 is also often counterfeited by altering a common date.
As cents returned to circulation after the war, demand for the two-cent piece fell year after year, from about 3 million in 1867 to around 65,000 in 1872. The 1867 doubled die obverse and the 1869/8 overdate are known varieties. In 1873 only proofs were struck, in Closed 3 and Open 3 versions and the Coinage Act of that year ended the denomination.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1873
The Coinage Act of 1873 ended the two-cent piece, the three-cent silver, the half dime and the standard silver dollar. It also created the trade dollar for commerce in Asia. Arrows were added beside the date of dimes, quarters and halves to mark a small weight change. Critics later called the act the "Crime of '73" for dropping the silver dollar.
How to recognize it
A shield framed by laurel branches with crossed arrows behind it fills the obverse, with a scroll reading IN GOD WE TRUST above and the date below. It was the first US coin to carry the motto. The reverse shows 2 CENTS inside a wreath of wheat, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the rim.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Two-Cent Piece (1864–1873) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1873 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 600 |
| Face value | 2¢ |
| Composition | 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (bronze) |
| Weight | 6.22 grams |
| Diameter | 23 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Other 1873 Two-Cent Piece issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1873 Two-Cent Piece Proof (Closed 3) | 500 | Proof | – |
| 1873 Two-Cent Piece Proof (Open 3) | 600 | Proof | – |
Mintage: Two-cent piece (United States) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.