1873 Open 3

The Open 3 logotype arrived at the Philadelphia Mint after Director James Pollock's January 18, 1873 letter complaining that the Closed 3 date punch looked uncomfortably like an 8 on struck coinage. The Mint cut a new logotype with the upper and lower loops well-separated, and the year's production split between the early Closed 3 and the later, more numerous Open 3. The transition unfolded against a consequential monetary backdrop: the Coinage Act of 1873, signed February 12, demonetized the standard silver dollar and pushed the country toward a de facto gold standard, an episode populist critics later called the "Crime of '73." Doug Winter records 63,200 Open 3 half eagles and 49,305 Closed 3 strikes for a combined Philadelphia output of 112,505 pieces.

Each example weighs 8.359 grams and measures 21.6 millimeters in diameter, struck in 0.900 fine gold over a reeded edge. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST sits on a banner above the eagle, the Type 2 reverse format introduced in 1866. Variety attribution happens at the date and nowhere else: on a genuine Open 3, the upper and lower loops of the numeral 3 are clearly separated, leaving an obvious gap between them. The Closed 3 has the loops nearly touching at the center, producing the figure-8 silhouette that prompted Pollock's complaint. Authentication beyond the date should focus on weight to one-hundredth of a gram, sharp dentil definition along both rims, and the absence of cast pebbling or seam evidence common on cheap counterfeits.

The Open 3 is the more available of the two 1873 Philadelphia varieties and one of the more accessible Liberty half eagles from the early 1870s. Circulated examples in VF through AU appear regularly at major and mid-tier auction houses without commanding key-date money, making this a reasonable type or date entry for collectors building a Type 2 With Motto representation. Mint State coins are scarcer but obtainable with patience, and gem examples remain genuinely rare. Heritage has handled multiple AU and low-Mint-State Open 3 pieces in recent years at prices reflecting the variety's relative availability rather than scarcity. For builders pursuing a complete 1873 pair, this is the easier half of the equation. See the Liberty Head Half Eagle series history.