Estimates place mintage of this date at 600 to 900 or so coins, however the figure was not recorded by the Mint. As a date, the 1873 Close 3 $3 in any grade is a proud holder of the “third-rarest” title of the series behind just the 1875 and 1876 Proof-only issues in terms of absolute rarity. It is estimated that fewer than a dozen examples can truly be called Mint State today, as most of the known examples show some sign of circulation.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the Spring 2022 Showcase Auction, where it realized $156,000.