Three-cent bronze
The three-cent bronze was a pattern coin struck in 1863 by George Eckfeldt. The coin shares its obverse design (other than the font of the date, which is smaller and curved), thickness, and diameter with that of the Braided Hair large cent, but was made of bronze rather than pure copper. Weighing 140 grains, it weighed nearly three times that of the bronze Indian Head cent.
Three-cent bronze
United States Mint · Public domain
- Field
- three-cent piece
- Region
- United States
- Related practice
- copper · tin · zinc
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wikidata · Q23680113 · wikipedia · Three-cent bronze
In this article
Overview
Overview
About 50 to 60 examples are known. The obverse features an image of Liberty.
The obverse of an 1863 three cent piece. This coin is graded and certified by NGC as PR65 Brown.
United States Mint
Key facts
Key facts
• Country — United States • Denomination — Three-cent bronze • Value — 3 cents (0.03 • Unit — US dollars) • Diameter — 28.57 • Edge — Plain • Composition — * 95% copper • 5% tin and zinc • Years Of Minting — 1863 • Catalog Number — Judd-319, Pollock 384 • Obverse Design — Liberty with braided hair • Obverse Designer — Christian Gobrecht • Obverse Design Date — 1863 • Reverse Design — Denomination surrounded by a wreath • Reverse Design Date — 1863
History
History
Throughout 1863, the coins were struck on planchets of varying thickness. According to Eckfeldt's journal: Struck a few 3 cent pieces of copper & zinc; the size, thickness and diameter about that of the 1857 copper cent. About the middle of 1863.
Other versions
Other versions
An aluminum version (Judd-320, Pollock-385) was made using a very similar design. However, examples are extremely rare with only 5 confirmed.
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- United States
Named but not plotted · 1
Three-cent bronze is associated with United States.
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Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Three-cent bronze, revision 1296140672 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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References
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References
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Broader subject
1- three-cent pieceTerminology
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Further particulars
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Further particulars
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Three-cent bronze is connected to 1 other published record in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
Within the Encyclopedia
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Coins
642 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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