Thursday 23rd May 2013

Ten Cent Menu

Overview
Draped Bust
Capped Bust
Liberty Seated
Liberty Head
Winged Liberty
Roosevelt Bust

Liberty Head "Barber" 1892 - 1916

As early as 1879, members of the public concluded that the Seated Liberty design was second-rate. Mint Director James Kimball opened discussion about a public competition to redesign U.S. coins in 1891, Barber informed him that there was no one in the U.S. capable of assisting him with original designs. A similar objection was heard from one of the leading sculptors of the day, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Saint-Gaudens told Kimball only four men in the world were competent to do this redesign: three were in France, and he was the fourth.

Vital Stats.

Designer: Charles E. Barber
Diameter: 17.9 mm
Edge: Reeded
Metal Content: 90% silver, 10% copper
Weight: 2.5 grams
Mint Mark Location: Just below the wreath on the reverse
I View Grading

Liberty 'Barber' Dime

1894 Liberty 'Barber' Ten Cent Coin Obverse 1894 Liberty 'Barber' Ten Cent Coin Reverse

Kimball insisted it would be possible to find able designers in America and it was not necessary to go abroad. He commissioned a panel of ten of the leading artists and sculptors (including Barber and Saint-Gaudens) to judge which of the designs for the new coinage would be the best. The panels first act was to rejected the terms of the competition as proposed by Mint officials.

Edward O. Leech succeded Kimball as Mint Director, but Leech was well aware of Kimball's problems. Leech avoided the problems by simply directing the chief engraver to draw new designs which, of course, is what Barber wanted all along. Barber's first design was similar to a British coin. Leech rejected it and proposed a Liberty head similar to several French coins of the Third Republic. Barber designed a Liberty bust wearing a Phrygian cap. The reverse was retained from the Seated Liberty series.

The Barber dime offers collectors a real challenge because of the large number of key and semi-key coins in the 74 coin set, and also because of the many sub-varieties. There are 13 coins with fewer than 1 million coins each for circulation.
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