Near the end of the 19th century, a new design was adopted for the three smallest silver denominations. This included the Barber Quarter, which were struck from 1892 to 1916. Mintages across all issues vary, with the series marked by the presence of three significant key dates. For anyone trying to complete a set, these three coins are the most difficult or costly to acquire.
The obverse design of the Barber Quarter features the head of Liberty. She is facing right and wear a cap with most of her hair bound beneath. The cap has a laurel wreath and a band inscribed “LIBERTY.” The design is completed with “IN GOD WE TRUST” inscribed above, the date inscribed below, and an arrangement of thirteen stars. The reverse design contains a heraldic eagle, with wings spread. The eagle had an olive branch, arrows, and shield, with a scroll in its beak reading “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” The inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “QUARTER DOLLAR” surround, with once again thirteen stars completing the design.
Barber Quarter Notes:
- There were a total of 74 different circulation strike issues. These were minted at either Philadelphia, Denver, New Orleans, or San Francisco.
- The total number of coins struck across all date and mint mark combinations is 264,670,792, representing an average mintage of 3,576,632.
- Three low mintage key dates from the San Francisco Mint punctuate the series and provide a challenge for collectors. These are the 1896-S Barber Quarter, 1901-S Barber Quarter, and 1913-S Barber Quarter.
- The lowest mintage issue is the 1913-S Barber Quarter at 40,000 pieces. However, the most difficult coin to acquire is the 1901-S Barber Quarter, since fewer were saved from circulation.
- The highest mintage for the series is the 1899 Barber Quarter at 12,624,000.
Barber Quarter Mintages:
| Issue | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1892 | 8,236,000 |
| 1892 Proof | 1,245 |
| 1892-O | 2,640,000 |
| 1892-S | 964,079 |
| 1893 | 5,444,023 |
| 1893 Proof | 792 |
| 1893-O | 3,396,000 |
| 1893-S | 1,454,535 |
| 1894 | 3,432,000 |
| 1894 Proof | 972 |
| 1894-O | 2,852,000 |
| 1894-S | 2,648,821 |
| 1895 | 4,440,000 |
| 1895 Proof | 880 |
| 1895-O | 2,816,000 |
| 1895-S | 1,764,681 |
| 1896 | 3,874,000 |
| 1896 Proof | 762 |
| 1896-O | 1,484,000 |
| 1896-S | 188,039 |
| 1897 | 8,140,000 |
| 1897 Proof | 731 |
| 1897-O | 1,414,800 |
| 1897-S | 542,229 |
| 1898 | 11,100,000 |
| 1898 Proof | 735 |
| 1898-O | 1,868,000 |
| 1898-S | 1,020,592 |
| 1899 | 12,624,000 |
| 1899 Proof | 846 |
| 1899-O | 2,644,000 |
| 1899-S | 708,000 |
| 1900 | 10,016,000 |
| 1900 Proof | 912 |
| 1900-O | 3,416,000 |
| 1900-S | 1,858,585 |
| 1901 | 8,892,000 |
| 1901 Proof | 813 |
| 1901-O | 1,612,000 |
| 1901-S | 72,664 |
| 1902 | 12,196,967 |
| 1902 Proof | 777 |
| 1902-O | 4,748,000 |
| 1902-S | 1,524,612 |
| 1903 | 9,669,309 |
| 1903 Proof | 755 |
| 1903-O | 3,500,000 |
| 1903-S | 1,036,000 |
| 1904 | 9,588,143 |
| 1904 Proof | 670 |
| 1904-O | 2,456,000 |
Barber Quarter Mintages Continued:
| Issue | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1905 | 4,967,523 |
| 1905 Proof | 727 |
| 1905-O | 1,230,000 |
| 1905-S | 1,884,000 |
| 1906 | 3,655,760 |
| 1906 Proof | 675 |
| 1906-D | 3,280,000 |
| 1906-O | 2,056,000 |
| 1907 | 7,192,000 |
| 1907 Proof | 575 |
| 1907-D | 2,484,000 |
| 1907-O | 4,560,000 |
| 1907-S | 1,360,000 |
| 1908 | 4,232,000 |
| 1908 Proof | 545 |
| 1908-D | 5,788,000 |
| 1908-O | 6,244,000 |
| 1908-S | 784,000 |
| 1909 | 9,268,000 |
| 1909 Proof | 650 |
| 1909-D | 5,114,000 |
| 1909-O | 712,000 |
| 1909-S | 1,348,000 |
| 1910 | 2,244,000 |
| 1910 Proof | 551 |
| 1910-D | 1,500,000 |
| 1911 | 3,720,000 |
| 1911 Proof | 543 |
| 1911-D | 933,600 |
| 1911-S | 988,000 |
| 1912 | 4,400,000 |
| 1912 Proof | 700 |
| 1912-S | 708,000 |
| 1913 | 484,000 |
| 1913 Proof | 613 |
| 1913-D | 1,450,800 |
| 1913-S | 40,000 |
| 1914 | 6,244,230 |
| 1914 Proof | 380 |
| 1914-D | 3,046,000 |
| 1914-S | 264,000 |
| 1915 | 3,480,000 |
| 1915 Proof | 450 |
| 1915-D | 3,694,000 |
| 1915-S | 704,000 |
| 1916 | 1,788,000 |
