The 1865 Proof Three Cent Nickel is the first and scarcest of its series coming from a mintage of just 500 coins. Scarcity gradually increases from PR60 through PR67 without any major price jumps. Gems would be considered rare with high-end gems being very difficult to locate. Attractive color and strong strikes can be found with some serious searching. Cameos and deep cameos are extremely rare and bring a hefty premium.
| coinage-type | Three cent nickel |
| desg | PR |
| designer | James B. Longacre |
| diameter | 17.9 |
| edge | Plain |
| material | 75% copper; 25% nickel |
| mintage | 500 |
| ngc-id | 275K |
| obverse-description | A Romanesque Liberty is portrayed facing left with LIBERTY emblazoned on her crown. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA appears on the periphery with the date at the bottom. |
| pcgs-link | 3761 |
| pcgs-number | 3761 |
| reverse-description | The roman numeral III is centered in the design surrounded by a large wreath tied with a bow at the bottom. This design is one of few American coins without wording on one of the sides. |
| weight-grams | 1.94 |
| year-display | 1865-1889 |