1873 No Arrows, Open 3

The 1873 No Arrows Open 3 dime is the second of the two pre-Act 1873 Philadelphia date-punch configurations. After Mint officials judged the original Closed 3 punch too close in appearance to an 8, the engraving department prepared a reworked logotype with the upper and lower curves of the numeral pulled apart. Dies fitted with the Open 3 then carried Philadelphia production through the first weeks of the year, still without the small horizontal arrows the Coinage Act of February 12, 1873 would soon add. Philadelphia's combined pre-Act No Arrows delivery totals 1,568,000 pieces split between the Closed 3 and Open 3 logotypes, with another 2,378,500 With Arrows pieces struck after the Act took effect; the Open 3 represents the bridge segment between the earliest Closed 3 work and the subsequent Arrows weight-change pieces. Weight remains the pre-Act 2.49 grams, the standard set under the Coinage Act of February 21, 1853.

Survival on the Open 3 No Arrows runs broader than the Closed 3 variant, with more pieces reaching the date-and-mint collector market in worn grades. Strike is generally adequate for early-1870s Philadelphia work, and the 3 punch geometry separates clearly under low magnification, with the upper and lower curves visibly distinct rather than nearly closed. Collector attention concentrates on confirming the date-punch attribution rather than on absolute rarity, since the Open 3 is the more commonly encountered of the two pre-Arrows 1873 Philadelphia configurations. The Coinage Act of February 12, 1873 abolished the legal-tender status of the silver three-cent piece and the half dime within weeks of these coins entering circulation, leaving the dime to absorb additional small-change commercial weight. Authentication depends on the 2.49-gram weight, the 17.9-millimeter reeded edge, no arrows flanking the date, and the open numeral geometry on the 3.

The Open 3 No Arrows fills a clean slot in a complete 1873 type build, sitting between the scarcer Closed 3 and the post-Act Arrows pieces of the same calendar year. Circulated examples surface regularly at modest premiums over generic Seated dime type pricing, About Uncirculated coins step up moderately, and Mint State pieces deserve a careful eye-appeal screen rather than a quick badge purchase. The Regular classification matches market behavior in worn grades, with Mint State quietly condition-scarce. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1873 Coinage Act, and the Carson City Mint, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.