1871

Mintage for 1871 crept up to 3,400 coins, continuing the pattern established in the late 1860s: production in the low thousands, essentially a token output to keep the denomination technically alive while the three-cent nickel served any real demand. The Great Chicago Fire in October 1871 destroyed more than three square miles of the city and killed roughly 300 people, one of the defining disasters of the decade. By 1871, the three-cent silver had been economically obsolete for six years and would remain so until its formal discontinuation two years later.

Finding a problem-free 1871 trime in any grade requires patience. The circulation strikes are rare, and the proofs (produced in larger quantities for collectors) typically outnumber the business strikes in the market. A collector specifically wanting the circulation version must be prepared for a longer search and higher prices than the proof equivalents would command.