Barber Half Dollars (1892-1915)

Barber half dollars, produced from 1892 to 1915, have been gaining in popularity in recent years, due to the efforts of David Lange (who has written several articles about them) and the growth of the Barber Coin Collectors Society, among other considerations.

The series of Barber half dollars contains no great rarities, and completion is within the grasp of virtually everyone, although in very high grades there are several varieties which will take a long time to find. When I first began my collecting interest in the 1950s I was attracted to Barber half dollars and put together a set of Proofs. The typical Proof issue dated from 1892 through 1913 was apt to cost in the $10 range, I paid $25 for the scarcer 1913, and, if I recall correctly, the 1914 and 1915 were priced somewhere in the $100 to $200 range. At the time a Virginia collector made a specialty of hoarding pieces of these two latter dates, thus causing a price anomaly. Of course, today these prices sound like something from Never Land!

I recommend you acquire a copy of The Complete Guide to Barber Dimes, by David Lawrence. Like others in his studies of Barber silver coins, it devotes a page to each issue and gives basic information concerning availability and rarity.

Budget Recommendations: Form a collection of G-4 to VG-8 coins. There are no rarities to contend with.

Recommendations for the Connoisseur: My advice parallels that given for Barber dimes and quarters: Start with one nice coin for "type." If you want to form a date and mintmark set, EF-40 is an economical way to go. While MS-60 through MS-62 coins are cheap (relatively speaking), most specimens look rather scruffy in these grades. For the connoisseur I recommend a nicely matched set of MS-63 and MS-64 coins, cherrypicked for aesthetic appeal. A good way to go is to look at a large quantity of slabbed coins and pick out those which are attractive. A set of Proof-63 to Proof-64 coins, again cherrypicked, forms a nice display. MS-65 and Proof-65 coins are gorgeous but somewhat expensive (although cheaper than they were a few years ago). Certain San Francisco and New Orleans varieties of the 1896-1904 years are underpriced.

Elite Recommendations: Build a set in MS-65 grade, except for the Philadelphia Mint coins which can be Proof-65.