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1877 Proof
| Weight | 1.94 g |
| Diameter | 17.9 mm |
| Mint | Philadelphia |
| Strike | Proof |
| Mintage | 900 Proof only |
| Edge | Plain |
| Alignment | ↑↓ Coin |
| Composition | 75% Copper, 25% Nickel |
| Melt value | — |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
| Collector's Key ID | CK-972 |
Collection
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No additional varieties recorded for this strike.
External references
1877 is a proof-only year for the three-cent nickel. No circulation strikes were produced, making the proof the only form of the coin. Philadelphia struck approximately 900 proofs, higher than typical years because the proof was the only available production. The 1877 is a semi-key in the proof sequence, commanding premiums over routine proofs because of its proof-only status.
The suspension of circulation strikes reflected the continuing depression and the minimal commercial demand for the denomination. 1877 was also the year the Great Railroad Strike erupted in July, with rail workers walking off the job in West Virginia and the protest spreading through Maryland, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Missouri. Federal troops broke the strike after more than a hundred deaths. In the middle of all of that, the Mint produced a few hundred proof three-cent nickels and sold them to collectors. The 1877 represents the first year of the proof-only pattern that would recur through the series' final decade.
Reference data only — not an appraisal.
| Grade | Description | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| PR-63 | Proof (PR) | — | — |
How many 1877 Proof Three-Cent Nickels were minted?
What is a 1877 Proof Three-Cent Nickel made of?
What is the melt value of a 1877 Proof Three-Cent Nickel?
Is the 1877 Proof Three-Cent Nickel a key date?
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