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1874
| Weight | 1.94 g |
| Diameter | 17.9 mm |
| Mint | Philadelphia |
| Strike | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 790,000 |
| Edge | Plain |
| Alignment | ↑↓ Coin |
| Composition | 75% Copper, 25% Nickel |
| Melt value | — |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
| Collector's Key ID | CK-966 |
Collection
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No additional varieties recorded for this strike.
External references
Philadelphia struck 790,000 three-cent nickels in 1874, the depression from the previous September's panic still gripping the economy. Jay Cooke's banking house had failed on September 18, 1873, triggering a cascade of bank collapses that shut down the New York Stock Exchange for ten days. By 1874, unemployment was spreading, wages were falling, and demand for new coinage across every denomination had slackened. The three-cent nickel, already a marginal denomination by 1873, had little reason to expand its production. The 1874 circulates in the middle range of scarcity for the series, more common than the true keys of the 1880s but clearly less abundant than the big post-war mintages.
Reference data only — not an appraisal.
| Grade | Description | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| G-4 | Good (G) | $17 | $19.50 |
| VG-8 | Very Good (VG) | $21 | $24 |
| F-12 | Fine (F) | $25 | $29 |
| VF-20 | Very Fine (VF) | $28 | $32 |
| EF-40 | Extremely Fine (EF) | $40 | $46 |
| AU-50 | About Uncirculated (AU) | $53 | $61 |
| MS-60 | Uncirculated (MS) | $141 | $163 |
| MS-63 | Choice Uncirculated (MS) | — | — |
How much is a 1874 Three-Cent Nickel worth?
How many 1874 Three-Cent Nickels were minted?
What is a 1874 Three-Cent Nickel made of?
What is the melt value of a 1874 Three-Cent Nickel?
Is the 1874 Three-Cent Nickel a key date?
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