Like the Barber Half Dollars and Dimes, the Barber Quarter series was also designed by Charles E. Barber, the Chief Engraver of the United States Mint. Barber Quarters were designed to replace the Seated Liberty Quarters, struck from 1838 to 1891.
Barber’s design for the Barber Quarter was exactly the same, except for size and lettering, as the Barber Half Dollar. It depicts Miss Liberty, facing right, with the date below her. The motto “IN GOD WE TRUST,” is on the upper periphery, with the word “LIBERTY,” on her headband.
The reverse depicts a heraldic style eagle in the center, with arrows and an olive branch in her claws. Above the eagle are 13 5-pointed stars, with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” on the upper periphery and the denomination, “QUARTER DOLLAR,” on the lower periphery.
Barber’s initial, B, is on the truncation of Miss Liberty’s neck.
To learn more about this coin series, be sure to read our article on the history of Barber Quarters.
Key Dates & Varieties
1892-S Barber Quarter
The 1892-S Barber Quarter saw only 964,079 coins struck. In comparison to the other 1892 issues, the Philadelphia Mint struck 8.2 million coins and the New Orleans Mint struck nearly 2.5 million coins.
This San Francisco issue is quite scarce and an early key date coin.
1896-S Barber Quarter
With a mintage of only 188,039 coins struck, the ’96-S’ is scarce in all grades. A well-worn, Good condition coin is at least $900.00. While the 1892-S can be considered a scarce date, the 1896-S is one of the rarest of all Barber Quarters.
1897-S Barber Quarter
The 1897-S is another key date. It has a scant mintage of only 542,229 coins. Like many San Francisco products of the era, they were particularly well struck.
1899-S Barber Quarter
The 1899-S Barber Quarter is yet another San Francisco Mint product with a low mintage. Only 708,000 of these coins were produced.
1901-O Barber Quarter
The 1901-O Barber Quarter only saw 1,612,000 examples struck, making this is a semi-key date.
1901-S Barber Quarter
The 1901-S Barber Quarter is the lowest mintage of all Barber Quarters. There were only 72,664 examples struck. Be very careful of added “S” mintmarks from a different date to a 1901 Philadelphia-struck Barber Quarter.
Due to the plethora of counterfeits, only buy this key date from a trusted source, like APMEX, or demand certification by NGC or PCGS.
1904-O Barber Quarter
The 1904-O saw only 2,456,000 struck. It is a semi-key date and not easy to find in higher grades.
1905-O Barber Quarter
With 1,230,000 coins produced, and a large percentage of them being weakly struck, finding a well-struck and problem-free example can be a challenge.
1908-S Barber Quarter
Unlike many “O” mints, but like many “S” mints, the 1908-S Barber Quarters generally come will struck. The total mintage for this mintmark and date was only 784,000 coins.
1909-O Barber Quarter
A scarce coin, the 1909-O Barber Quarter had only 712,000 coins struck.
1913 Barber Quarter
This coin has an unusually low mintage, especially for a Philadelphia Mint struck coin. Nicely well struck but exceedingly scarce.
1914-S Barber Quarter
The 1914-S Barber Quarter is the last of the scarce date coins in this series.
Barber Quarter Values
| Date MM | Mintage | Very Fine | Abt Unc | Ch Unc |
| 1892-S | 964,079 | $225 | $700 | $1,200 |
| 1896-S | 188,039 | $4,500 | $13,000 | $22,500 |
| 1897-S | 542,229 | $800 | $1,750 | $3,750 |
| 1899-S | 708,000 | $200 | $1,000 | $2,500 |
| 1901-O | 1,612,000 | $800 | $1,800 | $3,000 |
| 1901-S | 72,664 | $27,500 | $50,000 | $75,000 |
| 1904-O | 2,456,000 | $240 | $850 | $1,400 |
| 1905-O | 1,230,000 | $300 | $1,100 | $1,900 |
| 1908-S | 784,000 | $300 | $1,000 | $1,300 |
| 1909-O | 712,000 | $1,650 | $5,000 | $6,500 |
| 1913 | 484,000 | $350 | $800 | $1,000 |
| 1914-S | 264,000 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $3,500 |
