Introduced in 1892, the Barber Dime replaced the long-running Liberty Seated Dime. Even though there were numerous coins with lower mintages during the series’ 25-year span, collectors somewhat overlook the Barber Dime. Since Barber Dimes were not saved in any quantity, high mint state graded examples are extremely elusive. Although these coins carry premiums, they are low in comparison to coins of comparable rarity from more popular series.
The designer of the Barber Dime was Charles E. Barber, who served as the chief sculptor at the United States Mint at the time the series was contemplated and eventually released. The obverse features the head of Liberty facing right, wearing a cap adorned with a band inscribed “LIBERTY” and a wreath with thirteen leaves. Many have drawn comparisons to the Morgan Dollars designed by Charles Morgan several years earlier. This same motif was also used for the quarter and half dollar. The reverse of the coin features an agricultural wreath with the inscription of the denomination “ONE DIME” inscribed in the center. This concept was carried over from the previous series.
Barber Dime Notes:
- There were a total of 74 date and mint mark combinations. The dates range from 1892 to 1916. The mint facilities include Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and New Orleans.
- The total number of circulation strike coins issued for the entire series is 504,515,051.
- The average mintage for an issue of the series was 6,817,771.
- The 1895-O Barber Dime has the lowest mintage at 440,000, and the 1907 has the highest mintage at 22,220,000.
- During the course of the series, there were 13 separate issues with a mintage for circulation below the one million mark.
Barber Dime Mintages:
| Issue | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1892 | 12,120,000 |
| 1892 Proof | 1,245 |
| 1892-O | 3,841,700 |
| 1892-S | 990,710 |
| 1893 | 3,340,000 |
| 1893 Proof | 792 |
| 1893-O | 1,760,000 |
| 1893-S | 2,491,401 |
| 1894 | 1,330,000 |
| 1894 Proof | 972 |
| 1894-O | 720,000 |
| 1895 | 690,000 |
| 1895 Proof | 880 |
| 1895-O | 440,000 |
| 1895-S | 1,120,000 |
| 1896 | 2,000,000 |
| 1896 Proof | 762 |
| 1896-O | 610,000 |
| 1896-S | 575,056 |
| 1897 | 10,868,533 |
| 1897 Proof | 731 |
| 1897-O | 666,000 |
| 1897-S | 1,342,844 |
| 1898 | 16,320,000 |
| 1898 Proof | 735 |
| 1898-O | 2,130,000 |
| 1898-S | 1,702,507 |
| 1899 | 19,850,000 |
| 1899 Proof | 846 |
| 1899-O | 2,650,000 |
| 1899-S | 1,867,493 |
| 1900 | 17,600,000 |
| 1900 Proof | 912 |
| 1900-O | 2,010,000 |
| 1900-S | 5,168,270 |
| 1901 | 18,859,665 |
| 1901 Proof | 813 |
| 1901-O | 5,620,000 |
| 1901-S | 593,022 |
| 1902 | 21,380,000 |
| 1902 Proof | 777 |
| 1902-O | 4,500,000 |
| 1902-S | 2,070,000 |
| 1903 | 19,500,000 |
| 1903 Proof | 755 |
| 1903-O | 8,180,000 |
| 1903-S | 613,300 |
| 1904 | 14,600,357 |
| 1904 Proof | 670 |
| 1904-S | 800,000 |
Barber Dime Mintages Continued:
| Issue | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1905 | 14,551,623 |
| 1905 Proof | 727 |
| 1905-O | 3,400,000 |
| 1905-S | 6,855,199 |
| 1906 | 19,957,731 |
| 1906 Proof | 675 |
| 1906-D | 4,060,000 |
| 1906-O | 2,610,000 |
| 1906-S | 3,136,640 |
| 1907 | 22,220,000 |
| 1907 Proof | 575 |
| 1907-D | 4,080,000 |
| 1907-O | 5,058,000 |
| 1907-S | 3,178,470 |
| 1908 | 10,600,000 |
| 1908 Proof | 545 |
| 1908-D | 7,490,000 |
| 1908-O | 1,789,000 |
| 1908-S | 3,220,000 |
| 1909 | 10,240,000 |
| 1909 Proof | 650 |
| 1909-D | 954,000 |
| 1909-O | 2,287,000 |
| 1909-S | 1,000,000 |
| 1910 | 11,520,000 |
| 1910 Proof | 551 |
| 1910-D | 3,490,000 |
| 1910-S | 1,240,000 |
| 1911 | 18,870,000 |
| 1911 Proof | 543 |
| 1911-D | 11,209,000 |
| 1911-S | 3,520,000 |
| 1912 | 19,349,300 |
| 1912 Proof | 700 |
| 1912-D | 11,760,000 |
| 1912-S | 3,420,000 |
| 1913 | 19,760,000 |
| 1913 Proof | 622 |
| 1913-S | 510,000 |
| 1914 | 17,360,230 |
| 1914 Proof | 425 |
| 1914-D | 11,908,000 |
| 1914-S | 2,100,000 |
| 1915 | 5,620,000 |
| 1915 Proof | 450 |
| 1915-S | 960,000 |
| 1916 | 18,490,000 |
| 1916-S | 5,820,000 |
