1865 Proof

Philadelphia struck approximately 500 proof three-cent nickels in 1865, the first-year presentation of the new copper-nickel design to the collector community. Longacre's Liberty head obverse and the III-within-laurel-wreath reverse appear in full mirrored relief, with the harder nickel-alloy surfaces taking a distinctive bright finish unlike the softer copper proof cents of the same era. The coin arrived only months after the all-night Congressional session that authorized the denomination on March 3, 1865, and it gave collectors their first high-quality look at the alloy that Joseph Wharton had been lobbying Congress to put into the nation's pocket change.

The 1865 proof is collected as the first-year proof of the denomination and is available in the market with some searching. Color and surface quality vary; well-preserved examples with mirrored fields and sharp device detail command premiums over impaired coins.