1905 Barber Dime

1905 Barber dimes are considered as common in terms of date by most coin collectors and are popularly pursued by type coin collectors who are looking for an inexpensive, but high-grade, entry from the series. Most 20th-century Barber dimes, unlike their older, 19th-century siblings, are relatively easy to find at most coin dealers, and there are few business-strike issues from the latter period that originally numbered under 1 million. Such was the case in 1905, when all three then-operating mints produced at least 3 million dimes each.

Here’s a breakdown of the mintages and values of 1905 Barber dimes:

• 1905 – 14,551,623; $5

• 1905-O – 3,400,000; $9

• 1905-O Micro O – Mintage unknown; $60

• 1905-S – 6,855,199; $7

• 1905 proof – 727; $600

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

There is one exception to the rule when it comes to the relative ease of both finding and affording 1905 Barber dimes, and that is the 1905-O “Micro O” variety. Caused by a die variance, the 1905-O Micro O is often collected as part of the series, and poses a challenge for those coin collectors who with to include it in their Barber dime sets. The proof dime, conversely, usually is not included in anything but the most elite of Barber dime collections.