Jul 02
| The 1894 San Francisco Barber dime is one of those coins that the average coin collector will never get to own, let alone see. In fact, it is only possible for 9 collectors to own one of these coins at the same time. This has to with the fact that of the 24 coins that they minted, there are only 9 of these still known. It is the rarest coin of the Barber Series, not to mention one of the rarest coins in the United States Mint history. The 1894 Barber dime minted in San Francisco is much like all other silver dimes minted up until 1964. It is composed of 90% silver and 10% copper. The coin has a reeded edge, and a weight of about 2.5 grams. The diameter of the coin is 17.9 millimeters, the same as any other dime. This coin, along with every other coin in the Barber series, was designed by Charles E. Barber, the Chief Engraver of the United States Mint at the time. Barber was born in 1840 in London, England, but moved to America with his family at the age of 12. He received his position from his father after his death. Barber had worked as his father’s assistant. One other coin that was designed by Charles E. Barber was the Liberty Head (V) nickel. Another lesser known coin that he designed was the $4 Gold Stella Piece. This gold coin was minted mainly for trade with other countries, but its production did not last long at all. Charles E. Barber was not at all well-liked by President Theodore Roosevelt. President Roosevelt did not like him because he felt that his coins were dull and lifeless. President Roosevelt’s pick to redesign American coinage was Augustus St. Gaudens. President Roosevelt wanted every coin from the lowly one cent piece to the $20 Gold piece redesigned. Roosevelt only succeeded with Gaudens redesigning one coin, the $20 Gold Double Eagle. Even just this one coin outraged Charles E. Barber. There were no San Francisco Barber dimes minted for circulation in 1894. The 24 pieces that were struck were proofs. 15 of these pieces have been lost over the past 118 years. Out of the 9 pieces that still remain, only 7 of them are still in the proof like state that they were minted in. The other 2 pieces have been treated improperly and are no longer in near perfect condition. The other 7, although still in the same condition that they were minted in, are thought to have been mishandled at least once in their life time. These coins were thought to have been struck as gifts for American bankers, and also 3 for the Superintendent of the San Francisco Mint’s daughter. She is said to have spent one of these coins for ice cream, but she kept the other 2 until the 1950’s when she sold them. The highest price paid for one of these coins was 1.9 million dollars in 2007. One important thing to remember, if you ever see a Barber dime in circulation, there is always that slight chance that you are holding some very expensive ice cream money. |