1893 Barber Dime

When Charles E. Barber designed the Liberty Head dime in 1892, he helped usher in a new era of U.S. coin design. The Seated Liberty design of the late 1830s had remained in production up through 1891. The redesign had been generally well received by the public, though many numismatists were unenthusiastic about the Liberty Head design. Still, the Liberty Head dime, later dubbed the Barber dime in honor of its designer, would carry into the 20^th century and bridge the centuries.

1893 Barber dimes were struck by the millions, though had a lower production output than in the previous year. Here’s a look at mintage numbers and values:

• 1893 – 3,339,940; $14

• 1893, 3 over 2 – mintage unknown; $160

• 1893-O – 1,760,000; $35

• 1893-S – 2,491,401; $19

• 1893 proof – 792; $600

*Values are for coins in a grade of Good-4, unless otherwise noted.

The 1893/2 dime is mainly a curiosity among the most serious of Barber dime collectors, and is usually left out of most series collections. The same can be said about the 1893 proof dime. However, the two branch-mint pieces – the 1893-O and 1893-S dimes – are required to complete a business-strike collection, though are not prohibitively expensive and can be found with enough searching at your nearest coin dealer or online.