Barber Quarters (1892-1916)

Everything You Should Know About Barber Quarters

Barber quarters are stunning silver quarters minted between 1892 and 1916. These quarters feature intricate engravings designed by the US Bureau of the Mint's chief engraver, Charles E. Barber. Collectors favor Barber quarters for their beauty and interesting design.

In the 1880s, there was a movement to standardize the patterns on coinage. Charles Barber designed a dime, quarter, and half dollar that had similar motifs. All denominations have the head of Liberty facing right on the front. The back varied by coin. The quarter had an eagle modeled after the Great Seal of the United States of America on the reverse.

Barber coinage was made of 90% silver and 10% copper. The Barber quarter typically contained about 0.18 troy ounces of silver. Sadly, when silver prices spiked in the late 1970s and early 1980s, vast numbers of Barber quarters were melted down for bullion. This significantly increased the scarcity of Barber quarters.

However, it is still possible to find inexpensive vintage Barber quarters for sale. Prices of Barber quarters can vary dramatically based on condition, year, and mint mark.

The Barber quarters were produced at four United States mints: Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Denver. The value of the Barber quarter depends strongly on where it was minted.

The mint mark is a small symbol indicating which mint produced the coin. For Barber quarters, the lack of a mint mark means the coin was minted in Philadelphia. The letter S indicates that the coin was minted in San Francisco. The letter O indicated production in New Orleans. The New Orleans mint ceased operation in 1906, so later years of Barber coins were produced at the Denver mint instead. The mint mark for Denver is the letter D. Typically, S mint-marked barber quarters are more valuable than the other mintages.

While prototypes of the Barber coins were produced in 1891, the production of coinage for circulation did not start until 1892. There was a small change in the design of the reverse of the quarter during this first year. The original 1892 quarter design, the Type-1, has the left wing tip of the eagle halfway covering the "E" in the word "united." The redesigned reverse has the "E" more fully covered by the wing. All future production of Barber quarters follows the Type-2 design. The 1892 quarter value depends strongly on whether it is a Type-1 or Type-2 model. The Type-1 design is rarer. It is possible to find both types of used Barber quarters on eBay.