Barber Quarter

The Barber Quarter Coins are part of a series of coins designed by Charles Barber. Hair-dressing or cutting has nothing to do with Barber Quarter. Barber has had some interesting allegations leveled at him over the years. Apparently, the designs for the Barber Quarter Coins were to have been selected via entries sent for a contest. However, Barber wanted to design the coin himself, and had enough power to have interfered with the competition, if he had wanted to. Did he? Perhaps. Either way, Barber did end up designing the coins, which now bear his name in numismatic circles.

The Barber design shows a short-haired strong-featured Liberty wearing a large cap. In fact, this Liberty looks more like an ancient Greek ephebe or kouros than a woman. She wears a cloth cap covering her head and most of her hair. The cap is decorated with a wreath. Above her is the motto “In God We Trust,” and below her is the minting year. She is surrounded by stars representing the states. The reverse side is where Barber really went to town. The design of Barber Quarter is centered on an eagle that bears a shield, and carries both an olive branch and a cluster of arrows in its claws. The eagle holds a ribbon bearing the words “E Pluribus Unum” in its beak. Stars representing the states are scattered in the background above its head. This design was criticized as being unnecessarily elaborate in Barber’s time. Barber Quarter Coins were made of nine parts silver and one part copper, and were 6.25 grams in mass.

Barber Quarter Coins were first created to allow the United States’ money to “catch up” with the sophisticated, high-tech designs of other nations. However, people eventually felt that Barber money became outpaced, and the Barber Quarter Coins were phased out in their turn.

Grading Barber Quarters

Barber Quarter Fair Market Values in U.S. Dollars (1892-1916)

Date/Type	G4	VG8	F12	VF20	XF40	AU50	AU53	AU55	AU58	MS60	PR60 (Proof)
1892	$6	$8	$22	$34	$74	$120	$132	$150	$168	$192	$378
1892 O	$10	$18	$42	$52	$96	$144	$180	$192	$270	$300	--
1892 S	$30	$54	$84	$106	$180	$300	$318	$390	$450	$540	--
1893	$6	$9	$26	$36	$72	$126	$144	$168	$198	$216	$378
1893 O	$8	$12	$32	$50	$97	$156	$168	$192	$300	$318	--
1893 S	$15	$30	$58	$102	$150	$300	$330	$360	$396	$498	--
1894	$6	$10	$28	$48	$83	$126	$138	$150	$180	$240	$390
1894 O	$8	$14	$39	$70	$144	$198	$228	$240	$288	$360	--
1894 S	$9	$13	$37	$65	$108	$210	$240	$288	$360	$420	--
1895	$7	$12	$32	$43	$72	$132	$174	$186	$210	$270	$372
1895 O	$9	$16	$39	$61	$101	$234	$252	$264	$330	$420	--
1895 S	$14	$22	$45	$78	$114	$228	$252	$288	$330	$390	--
1896	$5	$9	$24	$38	$76	$132	$156	$186	$210	$252	$372
1896 O	$21	$38	$121	$300	$420	$630	$700	$750	$930	$1,030	--
*1896 S	$950	$1,440	$1,890	$2,820	$4,050	$4,860	$5,310	$5,730	$6,540	$8,070	--
1897	$5	$7	$25	$36	$72	$120	$138	$150	$180	$204	$360
1897 O	$9	$24	$72	$192	$330	$660	$690	$760	$820	$1,020	--
1897 S	$60	$92	$190	$260	$480	$690	$750	$810	$890	$1,030	--
1898	$5	$8	$22	$34	$72	$120	$138	$150	$192	$210	$366
1898 O	$8	$21	$66	$125	$258	$420	$450	$474	$498	$570	--
1898 S	$8	$14	$44	$72	$126	$186	$204	$270	$390	$450	--
1899	$5	$7	$22	$35	$72	$120	$132	$144	$162	$192	$366
1899 O	$6	$12	$31	$50	$94	$282	$294	$330	$372	$450	--
1899 S	$17	$28	$67	$90	$150	$270	$342	$420	$480	$540	--
1900	$5	$8	$24	$36	$68	$120	$132	$145	$168	$198	$366
1900 O	$8	$20	$53	$98	$150	$366	$402	$450	$510	$570	--
1900 S	$8	$14	$35	$52	$79	$132	$144	$174	$270	$350	--
1901	$5	$8	$22	$32	$68	$110	$120	$126	$168	$204	$378
1901 O	$36	$52	$144	$240	$450	$680	$750	$870	$920	$960	--
***1901 S	$6,180	$13,200	$16,020	$19,500	$25,980	$27,600	$29,400	$32,220	$34,200	$35,400	--
1902	$5	$7	$21	$31	$66	$110	$120	$138	$156	$192	$378
1902 O	$6	$18	$54	$78	$106	$198	$228	$252	$360	$450	--
1902 S	$9	$16	$41	$66	$138	$222	$252	$288	$390	$480	--
1903	$5	$7	$21	$31	$66	$114	$126	$150	$168	$192	$390
1903 O	$6	$9	$40	$58	$96	$240	$258	$300	$360	$420	--
1903 S	$13	$21	$41	$68	$104	$265	$300	$330	$390	$450	--
1904	$5	$7	$20	$31	$66	$120	$132	$150	$168	$192	$390
1904 O	$9	$16	$48	$76	$192	$408	$438	$455	$540	$750	--
1905	$12	$13	$25	$34	$70	$114	$132	$144	$174	$192	$378
1905 O	$13	$24	$76	$140	$220	$378	$400	$430	$480	$540	--
1905 S	$9	$15	$40	$62	$108	$220	$234	$276	$318	$330	--
1906	$5	$7	$20	$36	$85	$126	$138	$144	$162	$192	$370
1906 D	$5	$7	$26	$40	$71	$144	$156	$168	$222	$252	--
1906 O	$5	$12	$37	$59	$96	$186	$204	$234	$264	$282	--
1907	$5	$7	$20	$31	$66	$110	$126	$138	$168	$192	$385
1907 D	$5	$8	$26	$47	$84	$186	$222	$240	$288	$336	--
1907 O	$5	$7	$23	$36	$80	$138	$150	$156	$186	$240	--
1907 S	$9	$17	$44	$67	$122	$264	$300	$330	$360	$440	--
1908	$5	$7	$20	$31	$78	$120	$132	$145	$168	$220	$360
1908 D	$5	$7	$20	$34	$68	$110	$120	$144	$192	$240	--
1908 O	$5	$7	$20	$35	$76	$120	$138	$150	$186	$216	--
1908 S	$17	$39	$79	$145	$300	$462	$480	$505	$570	$730	--
1909	$5	$7	$20	$34	$66	$108	$132	$150	$174	$192	$370
1909 D	$5	$7	$20	$31	$68	$138	$156	$168	$180	$210	--
1909 O	$15	$37	$91	$190	$288	$440	$450	$540	$930	$1,000	--
1909 S	$8	$10	$33	$49	$85	$190	$222	$260	$330	$360	--
1910	$5	$7	$24	$35	$77	$120	$132	$144	$162	$198	$378
1910 D	$7	$9	$39	$65	$100	$228	$240	$264	$300	$330	--
1911	$5	$7	$20	$31	$78	$118	$126	$132	$168	$192	$370
1911 D	$8	$18	$86	$210	$330	$420	$520	$570	$630	$690	--
1911 S	$8	$10	$52	$76	$150	$320	$330	$350	$390	$420	--
1912	$5	$7	$17	$31	$66	$114	$132	$144	$174	$192	$380
1912 S	$8	$10	$44	$68	$120	$245	$270	$300	$342	$420	--
1913	$12	$22	$62	$168	$408	$492	$540	$588	$720	$800	$390
1913 D	$7	$11	$33	$54	$94	$156	$180	$216	$234	$282	--
**1913 S	$1,500	$2,880	$4,800	$6,390	$7,140	$7,530	$8,100	$8,610	$8,940	$9,750	--
1914	$5	$7	$19	$32	$67	$110	$120	$132	$168	$192	$390
1914 D	$5	$7	$19	$31	$72	$110	$138	$150	$168	$192	--
*1914 S	$72	$106	$224	$300	$480	$700	$760	$800	$930	$1,050	--
1915	$5	$7	$17	$31	$66	$110	$115	$120	$156	$192	$390
1915 D	$5	$7	$17	$36	$68	$110	$120	$144	$174	$198	--
1915 S	$8	$12	$32	$53	$103	$210	$222	$234	$270	$288	--
1916	$5	$7	$17	$31	$66	$109	$126	$132	$168	$192	$360
1916 D	$5	$7	$17	$34	$70	$110	$115	$126	$162	$192	--