JOURNAL OF THE
BARBER COIN COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY.
Volume 20
2009
Number 4
1914-D Barber Dime RPM
This dime belonging to Ralph Vignola shows a D/D East.
See page 10
Photo courtesy of Brian Ribar
For 30 year?, we've been regarded as industry experts in all Barber coin series. Lf you collect Barbers, or want to know more about them, contact us today or visit our . web site for current offerings
GET TO KNOW DAVID LAWRENCE
, .. RARE COINS- CURRENCY -SIAMPS
^ David Lawrence
ANA
PNG
CELEBRATING
John feigenhmim & John B/ush, members.
YEARS
Advanang the Art of Collecting
PO Box 9174 • Virginia Beach, VA 23450 • 1-800-776-0560 • fax: 866-581-2254 • info@davidlawrence.com • www.davidlawrence.com
JOURNAL OF THE
BARBER COIN COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY Founded in 1989 by Steve Epstein ANA Club Member C- 146266
OFFICERS
Philip Carrigan President
Eileen Ribar Editor, Secretary/Treasurer
Steve Szeerbiak Variety Coordinator
Steve Hustad Contributing Editor
Rich Dula Contributing Editor
Paul Kluth Contributing Editor
ADDRESSES
John Frost, Webmaster: http://www.BarberCoins.org
For articles, submitting coins to be photographed, information for Barber Bits, Letters to the Editor, advertisements, layouts, etc.: Eileen Ribar, 2053 Edith PL, Merrick, NY 11566; Tel. 516-379-4681; E-mail: cmcrib@optonline.net
For variety information, questions and comments: Steve Szeerbiak, new mailing address pending; E-mail: sscerbiak@aol.com
For membership dues ($15 per year; Canadian residents $20), information about the BCCS and back issues of the BCCS Journal ($3.50 each): Eileen Ribar, 2053 Edith PL, Merrick, NY 11566; Tel. 516-379-4681; E-mail: cmcrib@optonlinc.net
For BCCS issues in general: Philip Carrigan, 1944 Ash St., Waukegan, IL 60087; Tel. 847-625-0381; Fax to home phone (call first); E-mail: philrphl892 @cs.com
COjVTEl^TS
Page 4 BCCS President’s Message
Page 5 BCCS Editor’s Message
Page 6 “Possible 1909-0 O/lnverted D Barber Dime” by Michael S. Fey
Page 8 Barber Bits
Page 1 1.... “Carrying on with Dad’s Collection” by Tom Grieves Page 12. ...“Barber Coins: A Lifelong Addiction” by David W. Lange Page 14. ...“Values Hidden Within Barber Quarter Scries” by Paul M. Green Page 22....BCCS Statement of Purpose
Page 3
BCCS PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
I open this final message for 2009 on a sad note. Steve Szeerbiak, BCCS Variety Coordinator, died this past Oetober. I reeeived a eall from his wife with the news he had passed. If you saw Steve at a show, Barbara was at his side; they were a numismatie eouple! Steve had a longtime interest in Barber varieties before this area assumed greater prominence and I believe before Dave Lawrence published his Barber Quarter book in 1 989. Like many collectors (but not all), Steve was an introvert. If you asked him a Barber question, he had good ideas and solid informa- tion but needed the individual’s inquiry first. We will miss Steve and express our condolences to Barbara.
I attended the Baltimore show (now a Whitman endeavor) in November and had a ‘good show’ as a collector. Dealers who specialize in coins from the mid- 1 800s and early 1900s (i.e., Bust, Seated, Barber and series which began from 1909 to 1916) all said they were having good to excellent shows. I’ll note here these individuals generally do not have MS-68 grade coins from these early series nor an array of 5- to 6-figure prices on their wares. Thus, the market seems healthy for collector coins in the few hundred to few thousand dollar range.
Numismatic activity slows down on the show front between Thanksgiving and year-end. This probably holds approximately true for collectors. Please take note in this issue of the advantage to BCCS if you are an ANA member and consider a trip to Florida (with spouse and family) in early January for the FUN Show.
I thank Eileen and John along with our contributing editors for all their efforts. I wish all our members and their loved ones a wonderful holiday season.
Numismatic regards, ,
Phil Carrigan
THE JOURNAL NEEDS YOUR ARTICLES!
Your article submission(s) automatically enters you in the BCCS Literary Contest. The article receiving the most member votes will win a 1st place prize of $50. Second place prize will be $25 and third place will be a free one year BCCS membership. So, make sure your membership is up to date and get your article to Eileen at the post office or e-mail address on page 3.
DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE IS February 25th
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Tucked inside this issue you will find a flyer an- nouncing the entries in our annual Literary Contest. Please take a few minutes to look over the articles listed (some can be found in this issue) and vote for the one(s) you enjoyed the most. Remember, to have your vote count, please send in your ballot by March 1st. Winners will be announced in the Vol. 21, No. 1 Journal.
Those of you whose BCCS membership is about to expire will also find a 20 1 0 membership renewal form enelosed. Something new is ineluded on the 20 1 0 dues form - a space for your ANA member number. If you are an ANA member, you are already aware that ANA inereased its annual member dues this year. Member elubs such as BCCS have seen their annual dues jump from $36 to $75. To offset this inerease, ANA will reduee a elub’s annual dues by $5 for eaeh elub member (limit 15) who is also an ANA member. To be given the diseount, the elub must inelude its members’ ANA membership numbers with the ANA dues form. This year five BCCS members responded to the BCCS e-mail request for ANA member numbers and so our 2009-10 ANA member elub dues were reduced to $50. Sinee not everyone has Internet aeeess, adding space for ANA numbers on the annual BCCS dues form provides another option to participate. It is strietly optional.
ANA sent us a notiee about its Young Numismatists (YNs) Summer Seminar to be passed on to our members. Interested YNs ages 13-22 ean apply for seholar- ships to the 20 1 0 Summer Seminar, June 26-July 2 and July 3-9 in Colorado Springs. Full seholarships including airfare and other expenses and partial seholarships are available. Open to ANA members only, applieations must be reeeived by Jan. 1 8th. You ean get an application online at www.money.org or by eontaeting the ANA Edueation Department at 719-482-9850 or online at education@money.org.
This issue’s “Barber Bits” seetion has some interesting Barber-related news so be sure not to skip over it.
If you will be at the 2010 FUN Show, plan to attend the BCCS Meeting hosted by John Frost on Friday, Jan. 8th at 3:00 p.m. in Room 322. John will be happy to meet you and you will enjoy lots of talk about Barbers with fellow col- leetors.
Happy New Year! May it be a joyful, healthy, and prosperous one for each
of you.
Page 5
A Possible 1909-0 0/Inverted D Barber Dime
By Michael S. Fey
This is to report a new raw VF example of a possible 1909-0 O/Inverted D mintmark on a Barber dime. Although 3 examples were reported in the 2008 Bar- ber Dime Census, Volume 19, Number 3 (2 in Fine, 1 in VF), I question whether this is truly an O/Inverted D mintmark variety, or is it the result of an extreme case of strike doubling?
Possible 1909-0 O/Inverted D Barber Dime reported by Michael Fey
The Complete Guide to Barber Dimes by David Lawrence (first published in 1991) at http://www.stellacoinnews.com/index.php/barber-dimes-ch-4-year- mint-mark-analysis- 1 909-o/ indicates:
No. 101- 1 909-O/inverted D (photo courtesy of Stacks). A VF specimen was first offered at the 1972 ANA auction and realized $120. The same piece recently sold at a Stack’s auction for $125(+ 10% buyer’s fee).
Refer to Lawrence’s image at
right:
Reported 1909-0 O/Inverted D Bar- ber Dime by Stacks/Lawrence
Page 6
Although both images look similar, they are not exaetly the same. Could this differenee be due to extreme dilTerences in strike doubling? This variety does not appear in any of the population reports, nor does it appear in the Cherrypickers ’ Guide. Have the variety experts really had a chanee to review this perhaps elusive and ultra rare die variety? I sure hope mine is the real deal!
In my speeimen, the line within the “O” eertainly looks like the straight right inner edge of the letter “D”, while the bulge on the outer right of the inverted image of the “O” certainly looks like the right serif of a “D.” This is also the case with the image of the Staeks/Lawrence specimen.
A case for strike doubling can be made. The appearance of the inverted “D” mintmark is lower to the “O” mintmark and shelf-like in appearance. The right side of the wreath also appears to show a low and shelf-like doubling as would normally occur with strike doubling. However, it’s just uncanny that the left upright of the so-called “D” is straight, appearing more like a “D” than with the expected curved of an “O.” So, why have no examples been certified?
I believe the answer to this important question resides in the other 3 speci- mens reported by BCCS members. Does your coin(s) match this one? Can you provide images of your coin to the BCCS for publication in the Journal? Can we get an independent opinion from an outside variety expert on more than one coin?
I would propose that we send our coins to Mike Ellis, former President of CONECA and variety attributor for Dominion Grading Service (DGS), the com- pany that hosts the Lawrence book. Please contact me at Feyms@aol.com if you are willing to help us find an answer to the existence of this possible variety, or contact Mike Ellis directly via e-mail at mikecllis2001@yahoo.com or by tele- phone at 1-800-277-2646 x 129.
Update 9-20-09: Mike Ellis reviewed my coin above and agreed that he believed it to be strike doubling!
Page 7
Barber Bits
Dave Lawrence Barber Books now On-line at DLRC Website
John Feigenbaum is to be commended for continuing his father, David Lawrence’s legacy of support for the coin collector. Thanks to John’s generosity, all three of David Lawrence’s Barber coin books - The Complete Guide to Barber Dimes, The Complete Guide to Barber Quarters, and The Complete Guide to Bar- ber Halves, as well as The Complete Guide to Certified Barber Coinage by David Lawrence & John Feigenbaum - are available at the David Lawrence Rare Coins free on-line library website: http://www.stcllacoinnews.com/. Simply click on “Reference Books” and scroll down to the book title you want. Access is totally free, no membership required.
Privately Owned 1913 Liberty Nickel to be Auctioned by Heritage
As stated in an ANA e-mail, “One of the highlights of [the Heritage Auc- tion at the January 2010 FUN Show] will be the sale of the Olsen specimen of the 1913 Liberty nickel, which Heritage generously notes has been on display at the ana’s Edward C. Rochette Money Museum. The coin was part of a special dis- play featuring three of the five known 1913 Liberty nickels, including the McDer- mott/Bebee specimen, which the ANA owns and continues to exhibit. Please be aware that the Olsen specimen, which once belonged to Egypt’s King Farouk, was on loan to the Money Museum by its owner and cpnsigner. We felt privileged to display this nickel in the Money Museum and thank its owner for his generosity...”
Editor s note: The Nov. 1 6, 2009 issue of Coin World featured a front page article, “Olsen 1913 5c to appear in FUN auction” by Beth Deisher.
Some interesting facts stated in the above mentioned article:
The Olsen 1913 nickel appeared in a 1973 episode of the TV show “Hawaii Fivc-O” titled “The $100,000 Nickel.” A duplicate was used throughout most of the filming; the actual Olsen specimen was shown only four times and was always held by the same actor.
Page 8
Five unauthorized Liberty Head Niekels are believed to exist.
All five were owned by former Mint employee Samuel W. Brown (1913-1924) who sold them to Philadelphia coin dealer August Wagner in 1924 for $2,000. Wagner then sold the five to wealthy collector Edward H. R. Green in 1926 for an undisclosed amount. After Green’s death in 1938, his estate was sold off and St. Louis attorney and collector Eric P. Newman purchased the five in 1941 for $2,000. According to Ms. Deishcr, “Newman kept the finest piece and elected to sell the other four.”
Each coin would change hands several more times. Currently, two of the five reside in museums: one at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Wash- ington, D.C., and the other at the A.N.A. Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The remaining three are privately owned.
The Olsen specimen switched hands the most. It belonged, in turn, to James Kelly (he bought three of them from Newman), Fred E. Olsen, King Farouk of Egypt (at one time he owned two of them), Edwin Hydeman, World Wise Coin Investments, Jerry Buss, Reed Hawn, Spectrum Numismatics, and was part of the Legend Collection before being purchased for $3,000,000 in 2004 by its present owner who remains anonymous.
In 2003, all five coins were reunited and put on public display at the A.N.A. Con- vention in Baltimore, Maryland. While there, they were examined by a six-mem- ber “authentication team.” One of the researchers, John Dannreuthcr, comparing certain details on the reverses of the five coins, was able to determine “with a high degree of accuracy the order in which the coins were struck.” According to Ms. Deishcr, “Dannreuthcr concluded that the Smithsonian specimen was struck first, followed in order by the Olsen, the Eliasberg, Walton and McDemiott specimens.”
The Olsen coin is graded PR-64 by N.G.C.
Hopefully, we will be able to report the upcoming auction results in the March 20 1 0 Journal.
Page 9
Member Ralph Vignola submitted his 1914-D dime with multiple die eraeks and die ehips to be photographed for inelusion in the Journal.
While photographing it under the microseope, Brian noted the re-puneh- ing on the “D” mintmark (See eover photo). Many thanks to Ralph for sharing his dime with us.
Page 10
Carrying on with Dad’s Collection
By Tom Grieves
Hi, my name is Tom Grieves. I’m 50 years old and have been eolleeting for about 45 of those 50 years. 1 can remember as a young boy going through my Dad’s cash register in his appliance store swapping silver coins for the ones I needed.
My Dad passed the collecting bug on to me and 1 excelled in it a lot further than he did. He did amass a nice collection considering he was never one to buy a coin for more than face value. What he needed and couldn’t find, he would either trade for or win in our coin club. He was quite lucky. Rarely a meeting went by that he didn’t win something.
Many years ago my dad asked another local business owner in town if he could look through his silver coins. To him a silver coin was a silver coin, just replace what you take.
He assembled circulated sets of Washington Quarters, Walking Liberty and Franklin Halves, Mercury Dimes, and several partial sets. He recently passed his collections on to me.
The circulated sets became duplicates for me, but the partial set that caught my interest was the Barber Halves. It was a 50% complete G/VG set, and having just completed my 50 piece type set of classic commemoratives, I decided to com- plete the Barber Halves.
I was surprised to see he had acquired a 1 91 3-P and a 1 91 5-R Even more surprising was finding out how difficult it was to find some of the missing coins in G/VG condition that haven’t been cleaned.
I have since completed that set and started a VF/AU set. I know I’m trying a difficult set to assemble, but I’m on my way and enjoying the search!
Page 1 1
Reprinted from the February 2007 issue of The Numismatist, pages 23-24
Barber Coins; A Lifelong Addiction
By David W. Lange
As a collector of coins and notes for more than 40 years, I’ve had the op- portunity and inclination to explore almost every field of U.S. and world numis- matics. As my passion for each new area peaks and then ultimately fades, these eollections are sold and the money re-channeled into some new series. Though the objeets themselves now belong to others, I retain the knowledge acquired along the way, and my numismatic library continues to grow. Throughout all the build- ing and dispersing, however, one series keeps drawing me back - the silver coins created by Charles Barber and eoined from 1892 to 1916.
There is something compelling about these dimes, quarters and halves. I always find them faseinating regardless of grade or individual rarity. I’ve assem- bled and sold multiple, partial sets of eaeh denomination at various grade levels, never aetually eompleting one (though I’ve come very elose with half dollars). I always seem to change direetion before making a eommitment to the money and time needed to finish.
I’m once again building sets of all three Barber series, but the astonish- ing price advanees for key-date eoins over the past four or five years has made it unlikely that I’ll ever own a 1901-S quarter dollar. Nevertheless, I keep plugging away at this projeet, knowing full well I’m not going to fill that last hole in the album.
The first set of Barber coins I attempted in my early teens was the half dol- lar series. Drawn to this eoin’s impressive size, as well as its pleasing appearance even when quite worn, I started out to assemble a set in full-rim. Good (G) condi- tion. As the set progressed, however, my purehases gradually erept up in grade to Good- Very Good (G-VG, now known as G-6), then Fine (F)-12, then F-15 and finally Very Fine (VF)-20. I routinely traded in my lower-grade coins at the same coin shop that supplied me with better pieees.
As I began earning some money, 1 settled on the grade of Very Fine-Ex- tremely Fine (VF-EF, or VF-30 in modem terms). I should have stayed with this grade, as I had nearly completed the set when I made the mistake of buying a
Page 12
couple pieces in EF eondition. I found them quite appealing, but at around $40 eaeh, they were too expensive for me to continue. 1 ultimately became frustrated and sold the nearly eomplete set. The same scenario unfolded more than onee, as 1 flirted with the Barber series between other eolleeting aetivities.
As an adult, 1 deeided the time was right to assemble all three Barber series in Choiee About Uneirculated eondition (AU-58). The Barber Coin Collectors Club was founded shortly thereafter. I became member number 4 and was quite active in the club during its formative period. After a few years, I’d made it about halfway through my sets when I again was drawn to an entirely unrelated area of numismaties, and these Barbers soon beeame a source of funds.
Now that I’m baek on the “Barber Trail,” my current target grades are Fine through Very Fine. Sueh coins have enough detail to be attraetive to collectors, yet they are not so expensive as to distraet from other aspeets of life.
Despite being a full-time numismatist who attends nearly every major coin show in the country, I find it’s not easy to loeate the right coins. My duties with Numismatic Guaranty Corporation keep me at the company’s booth nearly all the time, though oeeasionally I ean slip away for an hour or so during dealer setup and then again as the show closes.
Sinee commeneing my eurrent sets about four years ago. I’ve been able to fill most of the holes in the half dollar and quarter sets with eye-appealing eoins, though the dime set is lagging a bit. I seek only problem-free, original pieees, that is, coins that have not been damaged or eleaned and that have natural, matehing patinas. This is not so diffieult for low grades (let’s say About Good through Very Good), but it’s extremely ehallenging for the most popular eollector grades of Fine, Very Fine and Extremely Fine. Sueh eoins always are on eolleetors’ want lists, and dealers have a very diffieult time keeping them in stock.
I’ve aequired a number of pieees that are only VG-10, but they appealed to me beeause of the exeeptional color and contrast that make them look good alongside the higher-grade examples in my sets. Assembling a matehed set, what- ever the grade range, will make your eolleetion more attraetive to you now and to potential buyers down the road. This can be very difficult with the three Barber series, as the pre-1900 issues seldom are found without signs of harsh cleaning or some sort of damage. The halves seem to have survived in greater numbers in their natural state, but the dimes and quarters are extremely diffieult to find in mid grades with natural eolor and no problems.
Page 13
lange@money.org
Reprinted from the November 11, 2003 issue of Numismatic News, 700 E. State St., lola, WI 54990 with permission of Krau.se Publications, Inc.
Values Hidden Within Barber Quarter Series
By Paul M. Green
Without a doubt, the toughest quarters of the 20th eentury are Barber quar- ters. Even though not all Barber quarters are from 1900 or later, just the tough dates, starting with the 1901-S, are more than enough to eement the elaim that there are no quarters from that eentury that can match the Barber quarters for scar- city in any grade.
While clearly the toughest, the Barber quarter is an interesting collection. Except for the big three - the 1896-S, 1913-S and especially the 1901-S - the Bar- ber quarter is really a collection most can attempt - at least in lower grades - on a very limited budget. The low prices can be deceptive, however, as the more you learn about Barber quarters, the more you learn to respect them.
There was probably a time back in the 1 870s or ’80s when it appeared that there would never be a quarter of the United States other than the Seated Liberty quarter which had been in production since 1838. Officials had fallen into one of those periods of little change, at least for the quarter. After the flood of new denominations, compositions and other changes during the Civil War, there had been relatively little activity except for silver dollars. Finally, in 1883 there was a change in the nickel design, and it was only natural that some consideration be given other denominations as well. i
One of the little mysterious parts of life is how sometimes, when con- fronted with the idea of changing coin designs, otherwise powerful and confident leaders get a terrible case of the jitters. In 1 887 the Mint director pointed out in his annual report that there was a popular desire for new designs, but he promptly did nothing about it because he felt there was possibly a limitation in the Mint statutes of 1873 and 1874. This obstacle was cleared when, on Sept. 26, 1890, legislation was passed authorizing the Treasury Department to change designs any time after 25 years of use.
That legal matter out of the way, the Treasury embarked on a glorious program to find the best possible designs for the dime, quarter and half dollar - all
Page 14
of which could be changed immediately under the new law.
The idea was a design eompetition and, to seeure the best possible de- signs, a letter of invitation was sent to the nation’s top artists ineluding Augustus Saint-Gaudens, J.Q.A. Ward, Daniel Freneh, Olin Warner Herbert, Herbert Adams, Charles S. Niehaus, Miller MeMonies, Kenyon Cox, Will S. Low and H.S. Mow- bray.
Up to the point of the invitation, things had gone smoothly, but at that point the wheels quite literally fell off the redesign wagon. The Treasury had put some effort into the idea, first ehanging the law and now planning a competition, and their expeetation was probably that artists would be excited at the chanee to design a U.S. eoin.
The artists, upon reeeiving their invitations, however, seemed to have a very different point of view. While not saying it directly, based on their joint response the general view seemed to be that the idea of the eompetition was one large pain in the neek, and one for whieh there was far too little eompensation and far too little provision for professional eonsiderations to make eertain that the best design was selected. The artists responded with a list of suggestions, whieh were mueh eloser to requirements, that they wanted taken up before they would partici- pate.
The response of the artists did not go over well at the United States Trea- sury. The idea of the invited eompetition was quiekly dropped and in its plaee was launehed an open eompetition with Mint Chief Engraver Charles Barber, Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Boston gem and seal engraver Henry Mitehell as the judges.
While it might sound promising, the results of the open competition were not. Two of the judges had some problems before any designs were reeeived, as Barber felt only he should design eoins for the United States and Saint-Gaudens felt that only he and three artists living in Franee were qualified to design eoins. With two of the three judges having somewhat less than open minds to anyone else designing the coins, it seems unlikely there was mueh ehance for a winner. Even the Mint director was quoted in the Boston Transeript calling the whole thing a “wretehed failure.”
With that admission, the Treasury simply ordered Barber to design new eoins. Barber had started with a Standing Liberty design whieh did not go per- feetly as there were some suggestions and desired changes. Other suggestions were not received all that well by Barber, but eventually there were designs that ev- eryone was willing to live with - although there was probably some feeling among
Page 15
officials that, in this case, no good deed or good intention had gone unpunished by cither the artists or Barber.
The Barber quarter entered circulation at a time when coin collecting was beginning a transition. The idea of collecting coins by dates was really just begin- ning to be replaeed by collecting by both dates and mintmarks. That transition would basieally take place during the period when Barber quarters were minted, 1892-1916. The proeess was sparked by the publication in 1893 of “Treatise on Mint Marks” by Augustus Heaton. Prior to that publication, many collectors were simply without serious information as to differences between eoins of the same date produced at different facilities.
Even with the Heaton publication, there were still problems. You eould not send in a check every year and obtain a mint or proof set. With no Federal Reserve System or national distribution of eoins, it was still diffieult for a eollee- tor living in Baltimore to acquire a new coin of a specific denomination from San Franciseo.
In fact, the popularity of eollecting by date and mintmark was really en- hanced with the first eents and nickels to be produeed outside of the main facility in Philadelphia more than a decade later. As the bulk of collectors were eollecting lower denominations, until those denominations were produced outside of Phila- delphia, many continued with their simple date-eollecting approach.
All of that is important when eonsidering Barber quarters, as when they were first introduced, there was relatively little aetive eolleeting by date and mint- mark, which can have serious implieations for the number of nice examples of a given date available today. That is especially true in the case of earlier dates from facilities like San Francisco and New Orleans. It is also worth remembering that a quarter eolleetion represented a substantial investment just in its face value for many, so while prices may in most cases be modest, in many instances there is very good reason to believe that Barber quarters may well be far less available than their mintages and prices would currently suggest.
The tradition foeus of a Barber quarter collection in circulated grades would be the big three dates, which are actually three very different dates starting with the key - the 1901-S. The 1901-S Barber quarter is not the lowest mintage Barber quarter, but it is easily the most elusive. It certainly did not have a high mintage at 72,664 pieces, but the 1913-S was lower at 40,000. The 1901-S, how- ever, seems to have simply vanished.
The proof of the disappearing 1901-S is everywhere. One of the best in-
Page 16
ciications came in the New York Subway Hoard purchased by the Littleton Coin Company some time ago. The hoard held key dates found in circulation by a worker in the New York Subway System. It gives a fascinating view of what dates were in circulation in what numbers from the 1940s and 1950s. In the hoard were a total of eight examples of the 1 90 1 -S, less than half the total of the lower-mintage 1913-S and less than one-half of the total of 1916 Standing Liberty quarters.
The only quarter found in fewer numbers was the 1 9 1 8/1 7-S Standing Lib- erty quarter which was not even known until 1937, and Standing Liberty quarters had dates that quickly disappeared, so there is some question if the person assem- bling the hoard even was initially aware of the 191 8/1 7-S and, even if they were, there is the added possibility it was simply too late to identify some due to wear.
If you look at the prices of the 1901-S today, you see eonfirmation of the laek of supply. In G-4, the I90I-S is eurrently $4,000, up from $2,200 in 2002 and $1,750 in 1998. It’s like that in every grade. In MS-60 it has gone from $12,600 in 1998 to $19,000 in 2002 and to a listing today at $26,000, while its MS-65 listing also continues to rise to a eurrent level of $54,000.
By comparison, the 1913-S looks cheap, starting at $725 in G-4, which is up from $415 in 1998 and $550 in 2002. In MS-60 the 1913-S is $6,200 and in MS-65 it is $15,000. The big difference in prices between the 1913-S and 1901- S ean make you think the 1913-S is not that speeial, but nothing eould be further from the truth.
The 1913-S is the lowest-mintage silver eoin intended for cireulation in the past eentury with a mintage of a mere 40,000 pieces. It is extremely tough in any grade above VG-8; the majority of pieees available seem to have been in cireulation some time before being saved by colleetors. In all probability there is a strong case to be made that the 1913-S would be much better known, and perhaps more expensive, if it were not always in the shadow of the 1901-S, as by any stan- dard the only thing preventing the 1913-S from mueh more attention is the 1901-S.
The third of the big three is the 1896-S. With a mintage of just 188.039, the 1896-S almost looks eommon compared to the 1901-S and 1913-S, but the 1896-S had a low mintage and perhaps a poor survival rate as well.
In G-4, the 1896-S eurrently is prieed at $480, up from $350 in 2002 and $260 in 1998. It can be extremely tough in top grades, suggesting a lack of collect- ing in the 1890s, with an MS-60 listing at $5,500 and an MS-65 at $30,000 - solid advanees from 1998 levels of $4,150 and $15,000 respeetively.
Page 17
What you will find in the ease of the big three Barber quarters is that frequently even in the most important auetions they are not represented and some- times when they are, instead of seeing an MS-64 or MS-65, the likely grade is more on the order of XF-40 - a real eonfirmation of just how scaree they are in upper grades.
One of the things that makes Barber quarters so impressive is that the good dates do not stop with the big three. In fact, there are well over a dozen dates with mintages below and sometimes well below the one million mark, and in many cases they are surprisingly affordable. Only the big three top $60 in G-4, and only a few other dates top $20 in that grade.
The best of the rest other than the three keys in G-4 is the 1914-S which is currently at $60 in G-4. If you like good values, you have to love the 1914-S, as for $60 you are acquiring a date with a mintage of just 264,000, the same mintage as the 1 9 1 6-D Mercury dime that was released a couple years later. There is much more demand for the 191 6-D Mercury, but consider the fact that for $60 you get a coin with an identical mintage but a price hundreds of dollars less.
At a current price of $27.50 in G-4, the 1901-0 seems to be one of those sleeper dates that few can explain. Somehow, the 1901-0 seems to have vanished, not unlike the 1901-S. For a Barber quarter to have a price of nearly $30 in G-4 you would expect a mintage of perhaps less than half a million, but the 1901-0 had a mintage of just more than 1.6 million. With that mintage, there are any number of lower mintage Barber quarters, but the G-4 price is no fluke. The 1901-0 brings a good premium of $800 in MS-60 and $5,750 in‘MS-65. The likely conclusion with the 1 901-0 is a lack of nice examples saved when it was released and perhaps years of neglect by collectors as a rather ordinary Barber quarter. That might have been true once, but the 1901-0 is no ordinary Barber quarter today.
(
The final $20-or-more G-4 Barber quarter is the 1897-S, currently priced at $60. The 1897-S more closely follows a pattern that might be expected of a more expensive Barber quarter with a mintage of 542,229. It has the added bonus of being one of the earlier dates, but coming one after the 1896-S, its mintage would not have stood out as a date that collectors of the day should have saved.
The factors seem to point to the same result which is premium prices across the board in all grades. In MS-60 the 1897-S is $950 and in MS-65 the price is $6,700.
It would be wrong to think that Barber quarters below $20 in G-4 are only rather ordinary and available Barber quarters. The 1908-S, 1909-0, 1912-S and
Page 18
1915-S all had mintage totals less than 800,000, yet the four today are prieed be- tween $6 and $12.50 in G-4. In this ease, there has to be a strong feeling that, at those priees, any of the four dates is an espeeially good value.
One date is between $15 and $20 in G-4. The assumption might be that the 1 892-S, as the first year of the Barber quarter, might have been saved and that may be seen in $450 MS-60 and $4,700 MS-65 priees.
The 1 892-S had a mintage slightly below one million pieees making it at least a better Barber quarter and, if it was saved, that would have been in upper grades. If an 1 892-S eireulated for any length of time, it probably seemed less spe- eial, and that eould aeeount for a limited supply in lower eireulated grades today.
The Barber quarter set today is all the more interesting when you consider its history. There were not only a large number of dates with mintages under one million, but also more than 15 in the one to two million range, and a mere four dates have mintages over 10 million pieces. A very good case can be made for the idea that there really are no readily available Barber quarters.
That fact can be further strengthened by the presence of key dates in the New York Subway Hoard. If key dates were still circulating decades after being released, the higher-mintage dates were likely to have circulated even longer - into the 1950s in at least a few cases.
Put aside in the 1940s and 1950s, any number of Barber quarters would have been lower grade and very possibly candidates for melting years later when silver reached record prices. While there may not have been widespread destruc- tion in the late 1970s and early 1980s, there certainly was some as well-worn Bar- ber quarters were not very expensive at the time.
Even today, if silver were $50 an ounce, you would possibly think about selling a G-4 or VG-8 Barber quarter. That might well make some dates which do not look very special a good deal better than they seem.
If you study Barber quarters long enough or attempt to complete a set, you are almost certain to have your own favorite sleepers in a set which is virtually filled with them. Take for example the 1913 which today lists for just $9.50 in G-4.
It had a mintage of 484,613 which is 613 pieces more than the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent currently $530 in G-4. Of course, the demand for the 1909-S VDB is many times greater, but for under $10 to acquire a date with a nearly iden- tical mintage has to be viewed as a great deal and one virtually every collector can
Page 19
afford.
Another group would be the San Francisco dates from 1902-1905, all of which had mintages of one to two million pieces and all of which are safely priced at less than $10 in G-4 today, although the 1903-S is right now at $12. These were the dates circulating in San Francisco at the time of the great earthquake in 1906. That quake and fire destroyed virtually every bank and much of the city.
Flow many Barber quarters were buried in the rubble in the aftermath of the catastrophe is hard to imagine. Those lost were likely to be from these dates.
While the San Francisco coins bring prices a bit higher than might be ex- pected based on their mintages, especially if compared to San Francisco dates of similar mintages from after the disaster, the suspicion has to be these dates could be much better than their mintage totals and prices suggest.
Simply put, date after date in a Barber quarter set has reason to be viewed as perhaps better than has been suspected. That, with the presence of three truly special and a number of awfully good dates, makes a Barber quarter collection a real challenge, but one worth eonsidering.
Editor s note: The chart on the following page gives a comparison of the prices quoted for the dates, mintmarks, and grades mentioned in Paul Green s No- vember II, 2003 article and those given in the November 2009 Numismatic News
Coin Market.
November 2003 article 1892-S- MS-60 at $450.00 MS-65 at $4,700.00 1 896-S - G-4 at $480.00
November 2009 “Coin Market” $650.00
1897-S- MS-60 at $950.00 MS-65 at $6,700.00 1901-0 -G-4 at $27.50
MS-60 at $5,500.00 MS-65 at $30,000.00
$900.00
$9,750.00
$56,000.00
$900.00
$7,000.00
$42.50
MS-60 at $800.00 MS-65 at $5,750.00
$885.00
$5,850.00
$6,250.00
$40,000.00
1 90 1 -S - G-4 at $4000.00
MS-60 at $26,000.00
Page 20
MS-65 at $54,000.00 $82,500.00
1903-S-G-4 at $12.00 $15.50
1913 -G-4 at $9.50 $16.00
1913-S - G-4 at $725.00 $1,850.00
MS-60 at $6,200.00 $ 1 5,000.00
MS-65 at $ 1 5,000.00 $37,500.00
^lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllb
= BCCS Meeting at the F.U.N. Show =
” Orlando Florida, Orange County Convention Center ”
” Friday January 8 zi
— Meeting time 3:00 in Room 322 ^
^ This is our Winter BCCS meeting and it is open to all, inelud- ^ ^ ing members and non-members alike. All Barber enthusiasts at- ^
^ tending the F.U.N. Show are encouraged to attend. Bring some- ZZ
“ thing for Show and Tell! ^
^iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirf
BCCS “blind” Email List
The BCCS web serviee has the eapability to send messages using a “Blind Carbon Copy” setting, whieh means everyone on the list gets the email, but no- body’s email address is displayed. The advantages to having such a list include the ability to post last-minute BCCS get-togethers at regional shows and other types of Society communications, if needed, without having to wait for the next issue of the Journal. It is completely voluntary, and is open to members only. If you wish to be on this list, please send an email to: BCCS@BarberCoins.org and your name will be added. Your information will not be disclosed to anyone, and you will only receive email regarding BCCS business from the BCCS email account.
Page 2 1
Barber Coin Collectors’ Society
1 . Promotes the writing and sharing of information on Barber coins to an organization of individuals who are interested in increasing their knowledge of the series; for Society purposes, Barber coins are de- fined as primarily U.S. dimes, quarters and half dollars designed by Charles E. Barber, and minted from 1892 to 1916.
2. Gives Barber hobbyists an opportunity to contact other collectors with similar numismatic interests.
3. Can promote consistent grading standards among collectors, deal- ers, society members and non-members alike.
4. Through group purchasing power, can offer its members discounts on numismatic materials relating especially to the collecting of Bar- ber coins.
5. Provides members a means to trade their Barbers with other mem- bers, in an effort to upgrade or complete their collection.
6. Effectively lobbies numismatic shows and events to provide Barber exhibits and space for all Barber dealers to sell their merchandise.
7. Promotes the collecting of Barbers and the hobby in general to
today’s youngsters. <
8. Offers benefit to all Barber collectors, whether they collect Barber dimes, quarters or halves, graded AG or MS65+.
9. Makes sure its members have a say in the organization.
1 0. Is a not-for-profit organization dedicated solely to the benefit of its members and those who assist the Society in advancing its purpose.
“QUALITY BARBERS FROM
JACK BEYMER”
#
Call or write us today for the coins you need*
Jack H* Beymer
Phone: 707-544-1621 737 West Coddington Center Rosa, CA 95401
Store Hours: 10 AM to' 6 PM Mon-Sat E-MAIL: beymerJh@sonic.net
BARBER COIN COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY
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To cast your vote, simply place an X before the article(s) (limit 3) which you found most informative and/or enjoy- able this year and mail this ballot along with your dues to Eileen Ribar, 2053 Edith PL, Merrick, NY 11566-3306 or email your choice(s) to emcrib@optonline.net. To have your vote count, this ballot must be received by March 1, 2009.
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Page 6 “Possible 1909-0 O/In verted D Barber Dime” by Michael S. Fey
Page 11.... “Carrying on with Dad’s Collection” by Tom Grieves Page 12.. ..“Barber Coins: A Lifelong Addiction” by David W. Lange
WE BUY AND SELL
BARBER HALVES • QUARTERS • DIMES
One of America’s 4eading coin dealers offering a sizable as- sortment of hard-td-find Halves, Quarters, and Dimes to Barber collectors seeking quality materials. Send us your want list. We are always in the market to buy whatever coins you have to sell. Write or phone Dennis Steinmetz with your description.
steinmetz Coins & Currency, Inc.
350 Centerville Rd., Lancaster, PA 17601 ' 7l’7-299-1211 800-334-3903
■ Member: NGC • PCGS • ANA • PNG
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