Description

The Barber dime (named after the designer Charles E. Barber) series consists of 74 regular issues, plus the ultra-rare 1894-S and two major varieties (1893/2-P and 1905-O micro-O).

The most famous of all Barber dimes is the 1894-S. In the first half of 1894, just 24 proofs of the Barber series dimes were manufactured at the San Francisco Mint. Just why only 24 of the coins were minted is unknown. The superintendent of the San Francisco Mint is said to have had them minted as gifts for some important bankers. Another theory is that the mint's annual audit showed a discrepancy of $2.40, so the dimes were struck to compensate for this. Three of the dimes were said to have been given to the superintendent's daughter, who allegedly spent one on a dish of ice cream and sold the other two in the 1950s.

Due to the rarity of the coin and the mysteries surrounding its past, the 1894-S dime is one of the most valuable coins produced in the United States. In the late 1990s, one of the remaining 1894-S dimes was bought for $825,000. Since then they have sold for $1,035,000 in 2005; $1.3 million also in 2005; and $1.9 million in 2007. At a January 7, 2016, auction by Heritage held during the Florida United Numismatiats show, the finest known example, graded Proof 66 by Professional Coin Grading Service with a green Certified Acceptance Corp. sticker sold for $1,997,500.

The Barber dime was designed by Charles E. Barber, Chief Engraver of The United States Mint. He also designed the quarter and half-dollar coins that bear a similar image of Lady Liberty on the obverse. This design was used from 1892 until it was replaced with the Mercury Dime in 1916.