3 cent nickel

mjb Mike · Mar 22, 2026

Went out today for a couple hours found a three cent nickel,silver ring and a nice merc.the other side of the 3cent is wiped out can’t tell the date.also few wheat pennies and some nickels thanks for looking

russau · Mar 22, 2026

I'll bet you there's some way to raise that date with some chemicals . I know that the police have a way to raise or show engine block number's that have been ground down to help prevent I.Ding ownership. NICE FIND !

E-Trac-Ohio · Mar 22, 2026

Congrats on the great finds !

UnderMiner · Mar 22, 2026

Nice score! I believe that denomination came about because the post office made a 3 cent stamp and it was easier to just make a 3 cent coin to pay for them, I could be wrong.

mjb Mike · Mar 23, 2026

thanks wasnt sure what it was at first had to look it up

E-Trac-Ohio · Mar 23, 2026

UnderMiner said:
Nice score! I believe that denomination came about because the post office made a 3 cent stamp and it was easier to just make a 3 cent coin to pay for them, I could be wrong.

I read the same thing - Three Cent coins were minted because that was the exact same cost as a Postage Stamp.
And just like Half Dimes they were not very popular with the general public because they were so small they were easy to loose.

Silvermonkey · Mar 23, 2026

mjb Mike said:
Went out today for a couple hours found a three cent nickel,silver ring and a nice merc.the other side of the 3cent is wiped out can’t tell the date.also few wheat pennies and some nickels thanks for looking

Great stuff Mike. I love your 3 cent nickel. That coin has been stuck on my bucket list for about 13 years now. Congrats!

eman1000 · Mar 23, 2026

russau said:
I'll bet you there's some way to raise that date with some chemicals . I know that the police have a way to raise or show engine block number's that have been ground down to help prevent I.Ding ownership. NICE FIND !

I have had some success soaking buffalo and V nickels in White Vinegar to raise the date but you have to do it in short sessions starting at only a couple of minutes. I would only do this on a coin that already has no numistic value.