The 3¢ stamp, as mentioned above, was issued on or about March 20, 1869, but its earliest known use appears to be March 27, 1869. The largest known used multiple is a block of 12 and several sheets of 150 (the plates were originally printed in sheets of 300 and then split in half). Again, numerous proofs and essays exist for the 3¢ stamp.
The 3¢ stamp is primarily used for the normal standard 3¢ rate paying the postage from one city to another if the letter weighed less than 1/2 ounce. For letters weighing more than 2 ounce, the rate doubled incrementally or tripled to pay the excess postage for the additional weight. Thus, a letter weighing 2 ounces would require 12¢ in postage. The 3¢ stamp was also used on letters to foreign destinations, again to such places as Canada and Great Britain, as well as to Germany, France, China, Spain and a multitude of other destinations, as one of the stamps making up the higher rate.
