By Susan Blumlein Amodeo
As a child coin collector, I was fascinated with the different shapes and images on foreign and domestic coins. As an adult, I love looking at my great grandfather’s coin collection. He built the collection while working as a bartender in Brooklyn, NY, at the turn of the century and later at a hotel on Long Island. People would pay for drinks with any currency they had, and my great grandfather, with a savvy eye, collected a vast number of US and foreign coins and medals, as Elis Island was bringing a multitude of immigrants to the area. His 1892 copy of George G. Evans book “History of the U.S. Mint and Coinage” and his 1909 copy of “Money and Stamp Manual” from the Money & Stamp Brokerage Company, Inc. are included in the collection.
Ellis Island
In the early 1970’s my father (who also collected) started sorting his grandfather’s vast coinage stored in a large leather pouch. He organized by country, identified and graded many coins, as well as putting many coins in flips. These coins are special, and I now have the honor of being the custodian to them.
Inheriting coins can be overwhelming but I feel fortunate to have some basic knowledge. Having books and reliable websites were helpful, but finding a coin group online was wonderful. I was introduced to Proxiblog by a friend and found it extremely helpful in and collecting.
While looking at the US coins in the collection, I was amazed to discover a tiny silver coin. This tiny coin was 3 cents, which happens to be my favorite number. While researching I learned this 3-cent piece (trime) had 3 varieties. I noticed that I had two of the three designs my father put in flips. Later, while looking through a cardboard box of untouched coins, I found a third trime of a different variety! I was so excited and went to my Red Book to note my finding.
Designer of the Trime:
James B. Longacre was commissioned by President Tyler to be the fourth Chief Engraver for the US Mint in 1844. He not only designed and engraved many notable coins, but he helped open the San Francisco Coin Mint in 1854. His designs include: The Liberty Head Gold Dollar; $20 Gold Coronet Headed Double Eagle; Small Indian Princess Gold Dollar; $3 Gold Princess Coin; Flying Eagle Cent; Indian Head Penny; 2 Cent Piece; the Trime; Three-cent Nickel; and the 5 Cent Shield Nickel. The Indian Head Penny is his most notable work.
The Trime
Many people do not know the smallest and lightest coin ever minted in the US from 1851-1873 is the trime (a colloquial name for the silver three-cent piece). In 1850 silver prices increased and people were hording silver and gold. Sound familiar? This was a turbulent time and many coin acts were passed. This was just after the peak California gold rush in 1849, which resulted in a population boom and economic growth. The trime was first minted in 1851 and was popular as Congress lowered the price of a postal stamp from five cents to three cents. This tiny coin was easy to carry and was minted for 22 years and included three varieties.
Variety 1:
The first trime minted between 1851-1857 contained 75% silver and 25% copper and weighed 0.8 grams. The amount of silver in this tiny 14.3mm coin was worth less then three cents in silver (2 ½ cents), which made it pointless to hoard. The first design was simple but unique. The obverse (front) features a six-pointed plain star with a federal shield inside. It is surrounded by the words “United States of America” and the date. The reverse has 13 equally spaced six-pointed stars representing the original thirteen colonies. These stars encircle a large decorative C-shape with Roman numeral III inside. Variety 1 had the highest mintage (36 million) from Philadelphia and (720,000) in New Orleans. New Orleans minted the trime for only one year, 1851, which are designated with an open “O” on the reverse right side.
Variety 2:
These coins were only minted from 1854-1858. To align with other coins, the mint adjusted its silver content to 90% silver and 10% copper lowering the weight to 0.75 grams. The design went through some changes. The obverse added double lines outlining the star. The reverse presented a more pronounced “C” and added an olive branch and arrows. The stars surrounding remained the same. However, many of these coins were weakly struck. The mintage was significantly less at 4 million.
Variety 3:
The mint again changed the design from 1859-1873. Although the design change was minor and only on the obverse, one border was removed from the star. Mintage dropped yearly and 1862 was the last year for 6-digit mintages. This coincides with the Civil War (1861-1865.) The decline in minting correlates with the introduction of the Three Cent Nickel coin in 1865. This was a more durable, easier to handle, larger coin. The trime was minted for circulation until 1872 (under 2 million minted). The Coinage Act of 1873 ended the production of several silver coins including the trime. In 1873 only 600 proof coins were minted.
Last Thoughts:
With such a small thin planchet, the trime minting quality was not great. Weak, off-center, die clashes, and strike-throughs (leaving an impression on the opposite side) were common. This, along with worn dies, resulted in mushy letters and numbers. Being such a small coin, many were lost, but today these are sought after by many collectors.
This coin survived the gold-rush and Civil War. In its 22 years of existence, the trime went through 3 designs and change of silver content. It may not be the most famous coin, but it has an interesting story, and I don’t want them to be forgotten.
Editor’s Note: Susan Blumlein Amodeo is one of Proxiblog’s top numismatists as anyone on Facebook coin groups knows. We hope she will continue to provide articles about the coins she loves and collects. As you can see from this article, she not only writes gracefully but also has a sense of history that only coin collecting can provide.
Proxiblog’s writers also include Jack D. Young and Jack Riley, counterfeit experts. They and Michael Bugeja provide fact-based information to thousands of viewers each day.
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