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Barber dimes, quarters, and halves: one face, three sizes
Barber dimes, quarters, and halves (1892–1916) share Charles Barber’s Liberty head. All are 90% silver. Common worn dates are junk-plus. A short list of S-mint and O-mint dates are not. A Barber is not a Mercury and not a Standing Liberty.
Barber coinage is the Liberty-head dime, quarter, and half struck 1892 through 1916 (halves through 1915). Charles E. Barber, the Mint’s chief engraver. 90% silver. One face, three sizes. 90% silver.
People dump them in with Mercury dimes and Standing Liberty quarters. Sort by the wreath-and-cap portrait first.
Mint mark
On all three, the mint mark is on the reverse, below the wreath or eagle (O, S, D; no letter is Philadelphia). 1892–1916 New Orleans used O. Where is the mint mark?
Common vs the ones we pull
Common worn Barbers: junk-plus. Dates we actually stop for:
- Dimes: 1895-O, 1896-S, 1897-O, 1901-S, 1913-S
- Quarters: 1896-S, 1901-S, 1913-S (the three keys)
- Halves: 1892-O, 1892-S, 1897-O, 1913-S, 1914-S, 1915-S
A worn 1907-P quarter is not a 1901-S.
Extra history
Barber’s design was the conservative answer after Seated Liberty. 1916 killed it for the Weinman/MacNeil look. Half dollars ended in 1915; the Walker starts 1916.
What a shop pays
Common: silver. Keys: collector bid if the mint mark is real. Don’t clean. Old is not rare.
People also ask
Is a Barber dime silver? Yes. 90%.
Is 1916 a Barber quarter? 1916 Barber quarters exist (Philadelphia and Denver) and 1916 Standing Liberty exists. Look at the design, then the date.
Are they the same as a Morgan? No. Different denomination, different design.
Continue in the coin and money library. Related visitor guides: for shop visitors.
Barber dimes hide in Mercury piles. Barber quarters hide in Standing Liberty piles. Barber halves hide with Walkers. Sort the portrait first, then the date.
A holed Barber with a loop was jewelry. That is melt plus scrap, not a type coin. Broken chains and jewelry.
New Orleans O mint marks are the ones people misread as a scratch. We use a loupe. Where is the mint mark?
What Barber replaced: Seated Liberty coins.