1851 IX. 587 No ingots shall be used for the coinage of the three-cent pieces herein authorized, of which the quality differs more than five-thousandths from the legal standard.
1898 P. L. Ford 281 The three-cent papers..abuse me.
1946 vi. 37 To feel like a three-cent piece with a hole in it. (To feel worthless and do-less.)