1873 Proof

The 1873 proof three-cent silver is the final issue of the denomination. No circulation strikes were produced in 1873. The Coinage Act of February 12, 1873, formally discontinued the three-cent silver, and the Mint struck only proofs for collectors wishing to complete their sets. Approximately 600 proofs were produced, a standard final-year mintage for a series that had been effectively proof-dominated for years.

The 1873 marks the end of the smallest coin the United States ever produced. The three-cent silver had existed for 22 years (1851-1873), beginning as a functional denomination tied to the three-cent postage stamp and ending as a collector-oriented issue that had long since lost its commercial purpose. The Type III design had been in use since 1859, and the 1873 proof shows it in its final form.

For a collector assembling a complete date set of trimes, the 1873 proof is the closing entry. The 1851 trime began the series as a bright, silvery coin intended to buy postage stamps. The 1873 proof ends the series as a carefully struck presentation piece that nobody ever spent on anything. Between them lies one of the most compressed rise-and-fall stories in American coinage.