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Perhaps at no other time in American history have the various denominations of coins had such a similar design as the Barber Coins of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Barber coins saw no significant design variation and were first struck in 1892 with the last half dollar being struck in 1915, and the last Barber dimes and Barber quarters were minted until 1916. Designed by Charles E. Barber, the dime, quarter, and half dollar each consist of 90% silver and 10% copper. Each has the bust of Miss Liberty facing right, while their nickel counterpart, commonly referred to as the Liberty Nickel, is actually 75% copper and 25% nickel with Miss Liberty facing left.
Barber coins are named after their engraver, Charles E. Barber. Barber was the 6th Chief Engraver of the United States and is best known for these Liberty Head coins, commonly referred to as Barber dimes, quarters, and half dollars, as well as the Liberty or “V” nickel.
Born in London in 1840 to William and Anna Maria Barber, in 1852, his family moved to the United States. His father, William, was hired as an assistant engraver by Chief Engraver James B. Longacre in 1865, and it was here where Charles learned the art of engraving. Eventually, Charles was hired as an assistant at the Mint in 1869 and became Chief Engraver by 1880, where he would remain until his death in 1917.
Charles Barber was a true student in coin manufacturing that not only understood the intimate details of the coin-making process, but he sought continuous improvement for those coins minted while under his stewardship. Traveling to Europe in 1905, Barber discussed all aspects of coin-making, contrasting the U.S. methods with those overseas in hopes of identifying the best practices. Because of his dedication to coin making, the Barber coins proved to be workhorses in the U.S. economy due to the nuances both the design and engraving contained, which ultimately allowed them to be used for many years. To this day, Barber coins are still easily identifiable, even with extensive wear.
Overall, Barber coins are fairly common. That said, many Barber coins (specifically, Barber quarters and half dollars) are increasingly hard to find in grades above Very Good to Fine because of how worn they have become throughout the decades. Barber coins are more than a century old, and with the historical significance they have for U.S. coinage, these coins are just becoming more appealing to collectors.
As mentioned above many dates from the various denominations of Barber coins are relatively common, due to their extensive circulation, today, collectors are still left with many condition rarities and some truly high end gems to choose from. However, some Barber dimes, quarters, and half dollars are very tough to findin any condition, like the 1894-S Barber dime, 1901-S Barber quarter, and 1892-O Micro “O” Barber half dollar.
“Barber” coins typically refer to the dimes, quarters, and half dollars created by Charles Barber due to the extremely similar design they have amongst one another. While the nickel he created is sometimes referred to as the Barber nickel, it is most often referred to as the Liberty or “V” nickel.
In 1892, the half dollar was redesigned by Charles E. Barber to the Barber half dollar. On the obverse, Miss Liberty faces right, her hair is in a Phrygian cap, and a wreath of laurel encircling her head. The word LIBERTY appears on a small band or ribbon above her forehead. The nation’s motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST,” is also above her head. Like the Barber quarter, the reverse is an adaptation of the Great Seal of the United States and features a heraldic eagle grasping an olive branch and arrows and holding in its beak a ribbon inscribed “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”
Mintage for the Barber half dollar was continuous at the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints from 1892 through 1915, with additional pieces supplied from New Orleans through 1909 and from Denver beginning in 1906. For the most part, there are no significant rarities in the Barber Half series despite the key dates of 1892-O, 1892-S, 1893-S, 1897-O. 1897-S, 1914 and 1915 being more difficult to acquire.
Charles E. Barber’s Liberty Head was used on quarter dollars from 1892 through 1916. Like the dime and half dollar, the obverse Miss Liberty faces to the right with her hair in a Phrygian cap with “LIBERTY” inscribed on a small band on her head. The national motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST,” is also inscribed along with 13 stars, six to the left and seven to the right. Like the Barber half dollar, the reverse is an adaptation of the Great Seal of the United States and depicts a heraldic eagle holding in its talons an olive branch and arrows.
As far as type sets are concerned, collectors will have no trouble finding coins from Good to Fine. However, Very Fine coins can be hard to find, and Extremely Fine pieces are even more so. For the date collectors, they have their work cut out for them, as the 1901-S quarter is considered by many to be a major 20th-century rarity, while the 1896-S and 1913-S are also key dates to this series and can be costly in any grade.
Known as the Barber dime, this ten-cent denomination features Miss Liberty facing right on the obverse with her hair in a Phrygian cap and wearing a laurel wreath, and the word “LIBERTY” in tiny letters in a band above her forehead. The reverse design differs from the Barber half dollar and quarter as it is the same design used earlier and features a large wreath enclosing the words “ONE DIME.” Also, unlike the Barber half dollar and quarter, there was no room for the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” on the coin, so it was consequently omitted.
While there are a number of hard to find issues in the 1892-1916 Barber dime series, the 1894-S dime is the most famous. The 1895-O will be another that date collectors will have a challenging time finding. Proofs of the Barber dimes were minted each year from 1892 to 1915 for collectors and can be obtained with some searching.
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