The Barber dime was minted from 1892-1916. The call for a new design was prompted by those inside and outside of the industry that thought the United States could make a better coin. The Barber dime replace the Seated Liberty design of the early 19th century.

The Mint started accepting new designs for coins, particularly the quarter and the dime. The first coin to get a new design was the nickel in 1883. It was designed by the chief engraver at the U.S. Mint, Charles Barber. Although there were many people wanting to put their name on a new coin design, most designers were deemed unable to assist the mint director in this process. The design was eventually given to Charles Barber.

The design of the Barber dime is more of a modification on past designs rather than an original design. Barber took inspiration from the Liberty head on the Morgan dollar and added shorter hair, a cap and reused the wreath design that appeared on the Seated Liberty dime. Barber did not put much attention to the aesthetics of the design, but the engineering of the design made it work well for high-speed coin presses of the time. The objective was to get a good strike from a single blow of the press.

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The Barber dime was struck at Denver, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and New Orleans. Points of wear include the cheek and the in the fields.

A full series of Barber dimes is relatively easy to complete. There are no significant rare dates or mint marks, except for the 1894-S, which is still quite a mystery today. The San Francisco mint superintendent, J. Daggett, had about 24 pieces struck, but only 10 are known to exist today.

Common dates are worth $1-$2 in heavily worn condition. Fine and uncirculated conditions can bring in as much as $20-$200. The highest valued Barber dime is the 1895-O. This coin is worth more than $1,500 in extremely fine condition. Find this one in your collection, and you will have an easy time completing the series.

*Prices are based on values at the time this article was written. Check the Professional Coin Grading Service for current prices.