The Three-Cent Nickel (3cN) is a very scarce odd denomination cast contemporary counterfeit to encounter. These were likely produced contemporary with the first five-cent Shield nickels, both coins filling the void in the absence of precious metal coinage circulating after the Civil War. The likely reason that cast counterfeit 3cNs were relatively rarely produced compared to Shield nickels was that for the same amount of production effort, a counterfeiter could make two more cents making a Shield nickel than a 3cN. I've personally seen fewer than 10 cast counterfeit 3cNs although the surviving population may be marginally higher than that.

Nevertheless, this is a rare opportunity to acquire this scarce denomination for your set of cast counterfeit U.S. coins. This example was cast with a lead-babbitt white metal alloy; exact XRF results will be on the paper flip that accompanies this piece.