1908 Barber Half Dollar

1908 Barber half dollars are relatively common and provide penny-conscious (or, shall we say, cent-conscious) coin collectors with several buying opportunities. Of course, Barber halves in grades of a full Good or greater are considered to be very scarce, but when those of the 1908 variety do pop up, they generally are not cost prohibitive for the average buyer. That means you can save some of your coin collecting budget for the tougher dates in the series. Or, if you’re a type coin collector, for higher-grade Barber half dollars.

Here is a glance at the mintages and values of 1908 Barber half dollars:

• 1908 – 1,354,000; $18

• 1908-D – 3,280,000; $18

• 1908-O – 5,360,000; $18

• 1908-S – 1,644,828; $28

• 1908 proof – 545; $900

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

If you’re assembling a series collection of Barber half dollars and are trying to spread your budget, stick to the full Good pieces. And, remember – you don’t really need the proof Barber half dollar to complete a business-strike collection, which is the most common form of collecting an entire coin series. The 1908-S is the scarcest of the four business-strike issues from that year, and will probably require a little extra searching at various coin dealers to locate the piece you want.