III Dime?

[CoinHunterAZ]

I went out hunting an old stretch of logging rail bed today and found what I thought was a mercury dime, and I just dropped into my pocket. The front of the coin is dark and corroded (found facing up) on about half of the coin. When I got home I rinsed it off as best as I could. I can make out a date of 1865!, and United States of America. The only markings on the back is III. I tried taking a pic, but it's dark already and the flash blurred everything. Is this a coin? Token? What in the world did I find? Thanks...

 

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[Twinkletoes]

It's a Three Cent Nickle Coin:



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Great find! H Digs

 

[Guns Blazing]

Sweet find! Post pictures!!!
HH

 

[Remus]

Sounds Like a three cent silver 1851-1873 or perhaps a nickle three cent piece 1865-1889 Either way, great find no matter what the condition, it's the fun of the find. Congrats!

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

Twinkletoes has it right, that is the coin for sure. Same date and everything, except the darkness is on the front of the coin. I have never heard of a three cent nickle. I am heading back out there tomorrow! What is the difference between this and a three cent silver? !865 falls into the same date range.

 

[BosnMate]

great find!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

CoinHunterAZ wrote:
> I have never heard of a three cent nickle. What is the difference between this and a three cent silver?

CoinHunterAZ, the proper name for your find in a nickel 3-cent coin. The difference between it and a silver 3-cent coin is more clearly understood when the proper names are used. Your 3-cent coin is made of 75% copper with 25% nickel. That kind was made from 1865 to 1889, to replace the silver 3-cent coin, made from 1851 ro 1873.

Other differences:
The silver 3-cent coin was tiny, only 14mm in diameter. The nickel 3-cent coin was 17.9mm in diameter, but weighed more than twice as much as the silver version (.80-gram versus 1.94-grams).

 

[Terry Soloman]

Here is a silver three-cent piece

 

[JOHUNT]

Excellent info. Actually helped me ID a coin I found last year. Thanks and good find CoinHunterAZ!

 

[VictorVincimus]

That's it. I'm hitting the rail lines. All the places I hit I think the people used livestock to barter. I can't find a coin to save my life. That is an awesome piece.