The 1857 $3 mintage of 20,891 pieces was more than 5,000 coins fewer than the Philadelphia Mint output of the previous year, and not surprisingly, the 1857 is slightly rarer in Mint State than its 1856 counterpart. The 1857 $3s seemingly circulated well, and many of today’s surviving specimens are VF to EF with a goodly amount of AU coins in the mix as well. In Mint State the rarity of the date is indisputable, and gem examples are at the high end of the rarity scale today.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the D. Brent Pogue Part III Auction, where it realized $35,250.