Perhaps one of the denominations of past United States coinage that strikes people funny upon hearing about them for the first time is the three-cent pieces. The smallest of U.S. coins ever struck, the idea of these coins, trimes they were called, were deemed necessary by Congress at the time. With silver coins being hoarded from circulation and the postal service prepaid rate looking to drop from five cents to three cents, the three-cent piece was born out of a need to make change in amounts less than a dollar.
Silver Three-Cent Pieces (Trimes) (1851-1873)
The hoarding of silver coinage became a problem for business persons...read more