History of the Barber Dime
Charles E. Barber, Chief Engraver of The United States Mint is the artist responsible for the design of the Barber dime. He also designed the quarter and half-dollar coins that bear a similar image of Lady Liberty on the obverse. His initial “B” is found at the truncation of the neck. This design was used from 1892 until it the mint replaced it with the Winged Liberty Head (a.k.a. “Mercury”) dime in 1916. The obverse is most noted for its stoic design of Lady Liberty facing right. The inscription “United States Of America” circles around her head along the rim. The date of issuance is found at the bottom below the truncated bust of Lady Liberty. The reverse features a Laurel wreath with the denomination of ONE DIME encircled in the center. There was no room for the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the design, and therefore it was omitted. However, Barber did fit the motto on the quarter and half dollar designs. The most famous of all Barber dimes is the 1894-S. Only 24 were minted as Proof coins as reported on June 30, 1894. These were special striking made by Mint Superintendent J. Daggett for a select group of bankers. Currently, only 12 specimens are known to exist. Whenever they come to auction, they sell for more than $1 million apiece!
Market Analysis
Coin collectors moderately collect barber dimes. A novice collector can assemble a date set of circulated coins. A date and mint set will require an expanded budget and slightly more experience. If you are looking to sell your Barber dimes, don’t walk into a coin shop with a bag of Barber dimes and expect the coin dealer dig through them to pull out the nice ones. If you want top dollar for your Barber Dime, you need to sort them and organize them so the dealer can quickly see what you have.
Key Dates, Rarities, and Varieties
The following Barber Dime in any condition, are worth considerable more than common Barber Dime. As such, these coins are frequently counterfeit or altered from common Barber Dime. Therefore, before you start celebrating your early retirement with your new found fortune, have the coin authenticated by a reputable coin dealer or third party grading service.
1894-S (Very rare, only 24 coins were minted)1895-O
Condition or Grade Examples
If your coin is worn and looks similar to the one illustrated in the link below, it is considered a circulated coin. If your coin looks similar to the one illustrated in the link below and has no evidence of wear due to being in circulation, it is considered an uncirculated coin.
Mint Marks
The United States Mint produced Barber Dimes at four different mints: Philadelphia (no mint mark), New Orleans (O), Denver (D) and San Francisco (S). As illustrated in the picture below, Barber positioned the mint mark on the reverse of the coin, near the bottom just below the bow in the wreath.
Barber Dimes Average Prices and Values
The buy price is what you can expect to pay to a dealer to purchase the coin while the sell value is what you can expect a dealer to give you if you sell the coin. The values listed here are approximate retail prices and wholesale values. The actual offer you receive from a particular coin dealer will vary depending on the actual grade of the coin and some other factors that determine its worth.
