1912 Barber Quarter

1912 Barber quarters are scarce today, as less than 6 million were originally made and fewer survive today. Thankfully, despite lower numbers than the Barber quarters from the first decade of the 20th century, 1912 quarters aren’t particularly expensive in the lower circulated grades and therefore remain quite affordable for most coin collectors.

Here’s a breakdown of mintage figures and values for 1912 Barber quarters:

• 1912 – 4,400,000; $13

• 1912-S – 708,000; $16

• 1912 proof – 700; $850

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

Philadelphia Barber quarters are the most common for the year 1912, with the San Francisco mint having made just a hair more than 700,000 pieces. No Denver-mint quarters were issued in 1912. The 1912 Barber quarter is by far the scarcest issue listed above, though proof coins are not commonly collected by numismatists assembling a set of Barber quarters.

The Barber quarter was designed by U.S. Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber and was first released to the public in 1892, replacing the Seated Liberty quarter that had been in production since 1838. The Barber quarter would remain in production until 1916, which was the same year that the Standing Liberty design became the successor of the Barber quarter.