5175

[L#5175] 1854-O $3

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 3,500.00 USD
[L#5175] 1854-O $3
Why this curious denomination? It has been suggested that the $3 had utility in the purchase of 100-subject sheets of three-cent stamps, or the acquisition of silver three-cent pieces in quantities of 100. In any event, the $3 proved to be less than convenient, and after the first year of coinage, production dropped significantly. In a way, the same pattern was followed by certain other series of the time, including the silver and nickel three-cent pieces, the two-cent piece and the twenty-cent coin. All were launched with high hopes, but only the first several years proved to be the times of glory.

The new $3 coin, introduced in 1854, was designed by James B. Longacre, who became chief engraver at the Mint in 1844, after the death of Christian Gobrecht. The obverse features the head of Liberty decked out as an Indian princess, facing left, wearing a feathered headdress upon which is a band inscribed LIBERTY. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds. The same motif was later used on the Type III gold dollar from 1856 through 1889.