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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;John Wright, post: 8274116, member: 107782&quot;]A more comprehensive explanation might be from an article I published in &#039;Penny-Wise&#039; in 2018 (or so) titled &quot;Coinage of 1857&quot;.&nbsp; I have included here an extracted paragraph (since augmented) from that article ... </p><p><br /></p><p>The other two recently-new US coins, the 3c silver and the $3 gold, are what I would call “postal coins”.&nbsp; In 1851 the US Post Office reduced postal rates from a base of 5c to 3c due to business-loss to private cartage companies who were offering the same service for 3c.&nbsp; Congress, in its infinite wisdom, mandated the mintage of a 3c coin to buy postage stamps.&nbsp; But postage could only be purchased and affixed at a postal window.&nbsp; Businesses complained, requesting mass-purchase of unaffixed carry-away stamps.&nbsp; In 1854 the Post Office first sold carry-away postage stamps in 100-stamp sheets – so Congress mandated a $3 coin to buy SHEETS of stamps.&nbsp; The 3c base rate for US postage held for over a hundred years (with occasional forays down to 2c) – until 1958. </p><p><br /></p><p>If you want the full article, email me at&nbsp; <a href="mailto:thejohn@sbcglobal.net">thejohn@sbcglobal.net</a> .[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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