Quarter Dollar · 1892–1916

Barber Quarter

Liberty faces right wearing a laurel wreath and a small cap, with LIBERTY on a headband and the date below. A heraldic eagle holds arrows and an olive branch beneath a field of thirteen stars.

Designer

Charles E. Barber

Diameter

24.3 mm

Edge

Reeded

Mint mark

Reverse (back), below the eagle

Composition

1892–1916: 90% silver, 10% copper · 6.25 g Silver

Did you know? Barber quarters circulated so hard for so long that most survivors are worn nearly smooth — a Barber quarter with full LIBERTY still readable on the headband is already above average.

Beginner tip: Check the date and the mint mark under the eagle first: 1896-S, 1901-S, and 1913-S are the famous rarities, and any of the three is a big find even heavily worn.

Key dates to look for

1896-S Barber Quarter

$400 – $800 even in well-worn condition

Only 188,039 made — one of the three famous Barber quarter keys

1901-S Barber Quarter

$3,500 – $6,000+ even heavily worn

Just 72,664 made — the king of Barber quarters

1913-S Barber Quarter

$1,000 – $1,800 in worn grades

Lowest mintage of the series at 40,000

1914-S Barber Quarter

$75 – $150 in worn grades

Semi-key with 264,000 made

Valuable varieties & errors

1892-O Micro O

rare

$500 – $5,000+ depending on wear

In the first year of the series, a few New Orleans dies were punched with a mint mark far smaller than normal, likely from the wrong punch. It is a recognized PCGS/NGC variety and a classic Barber rarity.

How to check: Look at the O below the eagle on the reverse. On a normal coin the O is bold and fills its space; on the Micro O it looks tiny and delicate, clearly smaller than the surrounding letters. Compare side by side with any common 1892-O photo online.

Error types found on this series

Repunched Mint Mark (RPM)

The mint mark was punched into the die more than once, slightly off position, leaving a doubled letter.

Die Crack

A crack in the die fills with metal during the strike, leaving a thin raised line on the coin.

Lamination Error

A thin layer of the coin's metal peels, flakes, or cracks off because the alloy was poorly mixed.

Off-Center Strike

The blank wasn't centered when struck, so part of the design is missing and part of the coin is blank.

Clipped Planchet

A bite-shaped piece of the coin is missing because the blank was punched from an already-punched part of the metal strip.

Real photos where available (credits); others are illustrations.

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