1856

Mintage recovered to 1.46 million coins in 1856, up from the previous year's low but still modest by Type I standards. The denomination remained under pressure from silver melting, and the Mint was producing only what it believed would stay in circulation. The result is a coin that is less plentiful than the 1851-1853 issues but more available than the 1854 and 1855.

National headlines in 1856 read of Bleeding Kansas, where pro-slavery and free-state settlers fought open battles in the territory, and of the Dred Scott case then being argued before the Supreme Court. The trime circulated through the last year before the country's sectional crisis would accelerate toward war. The Type II design continued unchanged. Good to Fine examples are the most commonly encountered grades, and the 1856 is a realistic target for date collectors working through the series. Higher grades become progressively scarcer, consistent with the broader availability pattern of trimes in this period.