This should be a must for collectors of the coin and those who contemplate doing so. It is an oversized book, distinguished by its large, clear, magnified photographs of die varieties.

We learn that the coin was introduced in 1865 to retire unpopular fractional currency. By the end of the run, in 1889, about 30 million had been issued, with about a third of them recaptured by the government for reuse in the Liberty Head and Buffalo nickels. So many were in circulation that the mint sharply reduced the mintages for 1882-1889, making these the hardest to obtain in the series.

This book includes a year-by-year summary of each coin, including mintages, scarcity, die varieties, and striking characteristics for each issue. Also included is a detailed guide how how to grade the three cent nickel. Note that the book is not about the three-cent silver coin (1851-73), which was smaller, lighter and said to be unpopular with the public.

A Note from the Wizard: In fairness to our customers, we feel compelled to mention that the editing in this book is lacking. For example, the authors refer to President Andrew Johnson as "President Andrew Jackson," and at least six times, from cover to cover, refer to Lincoln's Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase as "Samual Chase." One could reasonably expect that these types of factual inaccuracies would have been corrected somewhere along the way before a third edition. Still, the Three Cent Nickel series been the subject of very little book coverage and there is an abundance of well-meaning information included in the pages of this volume. In weighing the pros and cons, we have decided it is worthy of inclusion in our inventory provided the factual issues were appropriately disclosed.
Binding: Paperback
Edition: 3rd
Publication Date: June 2009
Size: 8.5x11
Pages: 155