Three Cent Nickel Values Cover a Wide Range

Obverse: Features Identifying Mint State Grade: Lack of wear to the surface is the prime indicator identifying a Mint State - uncirculated grade 3-cent piece. When struck, metal flows into devices and fine luster lines are created. Wear shows as a disruption to these fine lines causing a dulling color change to the area.

Liberty's cheek just next to her mouth is a large area. Judge it is still covered with original minting luster.

Strands of hair above the forehead are prone to wear, confirm upper most parts of hair remain with original texture.

Just in front of the ribbon ties are fine strands of hair. These small strands remain with texture and no signs of smoothing.

Reverse: Features Identifying Mint State Grade: Confirming lack of wear continues to the reverse.

Edges of leaves are free of wear. Structure of the leaves presents a ridge defining the edges with a shallow depression leading to a raised center vein. Both the central vein and edges remain rounded in profile on each leaf.

Texture of the metal forming the bow at the bottom of the wreath remains without any smoothing. High and low relief areas of the bow match, displaying unbroken original texture.

With close examination of the vertical lines within the Roman numeral, no smoothing is evident along their upper edges. Note: many times, all vertical lines were never impressed into the coin, due to a soft strike. Focus your judgement to the fully formed lines to detect sighs of wear.

Obverse: Features Identifying Extremely Fine Grade: A coin enters the Extremely Fine grade range when a small amount of wear is visible to its surface. Tops of high relief elements are just slightly flattened.

Liberty's hair just above her eyebrow is beginning to flatten but retains a minor amount of rounded profile.

Wear among hair detail surrounding the ear is limited to small areas with finer strands of hair visible close to the tie at back of head.

A narrow band of wear extends from under Liberty's ear along the tops of waves of hair. Wear is confined to just the highest points of curls and only minor merging of elements has occurred. Overall a bold, crisp appearance helps define a 3-cent nickel in Extremely Fine grade.

Reverse: Features Identifying Extremely Fine Grade: A nicely detailed reverse is the impression of an extremely fine condition coin.

Wear is confined to only the highest areas. Leaves within the clusters are completely separated. Notice, central veins of leaves are all well-defined.

Most edges of the leaves are raised and a distinct contour flows inward to a raised central vein.

The bow at the bottom holding two olive branches is fully defined. All edges are complete with no merging with surrounding elements. A well struck coin exhibits a central line as part of the knot detail.

Obverse: Features Identifying the Fine Grade: A Fine grade coin displays a moderate amount of wear. Wear is clearly responsible for flat areas on the coin.

Wear has now flattened the separation of the hair curls at the back of Liberty's neck. Tops of all curls are now connected.

Look closely were the diadem meets hair and ribbon; it is now a flat area. There is no clear line separating the hair detail from the ending of the diadem.

A hair line between Liberty's ear is now a flat plane connecting ear and hair.

Reverse: Features Identifying the Fine Grade: Defining a Fine grade 3-cent nickel is all leaves of the wreath are fully separated.

Majority of uppermost leaves to each cluster are worn smooth. Leaves to left and right of the numerals are especially prone to wear. Often these are completely flat, however must remain bold from lower leaves.

Overall look of the coin is a well detailed example of wreath, numerals, and bow tying the wreath at the bottom. Wear is moderate with no connecting flat areas.

Obverse: Features Identifying the Good Grade: Heavy wear blending major design elements defines the Good grade.

Wear covers Liberty's face and clearly flattens the profile extending from her forehead through her cheek and connects to her neck.

Another major element is the once separation of hair above forehead to ear and down the neckline is now a smooth connecting plane.

The tie of hair at back of head is now mostly one flat area.

Reverse: Features Identifying the Good Grade: A typical reverse in the Good grade shows no central detail to any of the leaves.

A well-defined wreath is bold from the field and completely outlined.

Vertical lines of the numerals are now mostly to completely missing and are smooth. Most major details remain; however, any minor detail is gone.

Smooth devices covering the entire design helps recognize a good condition coin. Additionally, a full separation of elements from rim indicates a coin in at least Good condition.

From a Mint State grade piece with "brightened" surfaces to increase its value to circulated coins scrubbed and brushed to "improve" the appearance, cleaning away the original ageing renders a less desirable coin.

Compared side by side, the example with original surfaces has a vibrant look, absent on the cleaned example. Take the side of caution, leaving the coin as is.

Producing high quality and artistic coinage is a primary concern of the US Mint. 3 cent nickels at times portray some of the difficulties working with the new nickel alloy. Lightly struck areas within the design are noted on examples. View the dates on the two coins in the image and the added challenge to correctly identify the coin is evident.

The mint was striving to maintain quality of these nickels. Quote on the use of nickel in coinage: James Pollock, Director of the Mint in the 1863 Annual Report; "It commonly makes a hard mixture, very destructive to dies, and all the contiguous parts of the coining machinery." Less than ideal strike quality in areas is considered as part of the value process, favoring high quality strikes.

More 3 Cent Coin Values

US three cent pieces were minted in two distinct series. Discover values of the other three cent coin series. Using the same step by step method, match your coins to the grading images and value charts.