1873 Closed 3

The 1873 Closed 3 three-cent nickel uses the earlier of two date styles for the year. On the Closed 3, the upper and lower arms of the 3 curve inward toward each other, nearly meeting. The shape created a practical problem: at a glance, the digit could be mistaken for an 8. Mint officials noticed the ambiguity and ordered the punch modified, opening the loops so the 3 could no longer be confused with an 8. The correction created two varieties for the year, not just on the three-cent nickel but across every denomination the Mint struck in 1873: cents, half dimes, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars all show the same Closed 3 / Open 3 distinction.

The Closed 3 is actually the more common of the two 1873 three-cent nickels by certified population, with nearly twice as many examples as the Open 3 in major grading service registries. Most price guides value the two varieties roughly equally, but specialists looking for the scarcer version target the Open 3. A PCGS MS66 Closed 3 brought $6,469 at Heritage in 2005.

The Coinage Act of 1873, passed the same year, discontinued the three-cent silver (trime) while leaving the nickel version intact. The decision likely reflected Joseph Wharton's influence with Congress more than any principled analysis of the denomination's utility. The nickel trime would continue for another sixteen years, well past the point where anyone could remember why it had been created in the first place.