1897-O Barber Quarter

Barber Quarter

1892–1916

As part of the Barber series, the Barber Quarter is a popular coin among numismatists. The Barber Quarter, like the Barber Dime and Barber Half Dollar, was designed by the U.S. Mint Chief Engraver, Charles Barber. The Barber Quarter replaced the Seated Liberty Quarter in 1892 and was followed by the Standing Liberty Quarter in 1916.

The design for the Barber series received mixed reviews from artists and the general public, many criticizing it for being unimaginative. Also known as the Liberty Head Quarter, the Barber Quarter shares an identical design to the Barber Half Dollar, with a reverse that differs from the Barber Dime.

The obverse features Lady Liberty, facing right and wearing a Phrygian cap with a laurel wreath. On the wreath is a headband inscribed “LIBERTY” above her forehead. The minting date can be found below Liberty’s neck. Unlike the Barber Dime, the quarter has the motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST,” inscribed above her head and thirteen stars surrounding it — the left side with six stars and the right side with seven. The thirteen stars represent the thirteen original colonies.

On the reverse, a heraldic eagle with spread wings is in the center of the coin. The eagle holds an olive branch in its left claw and arrows in its right. Under the eagle’s tail is the mintmark for quarters minted outside of Philadelphia. The eagle holds a scroll in its beak with the Latin phrase, “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” inscribed on it. The inscriptions, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “QUARTER DOLLAR,” create a circle around the rest of the design, with the former above the latter. Thirteen more stars fill the space between the top inscription and the eagle’s head.

Barber Quarters were minted in four different cities — Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and New Orleans. While Philadelphia Barber Quarters have no mint mark, “D” represents the Denver Mint, “S” represents the San Francisco Mint, and “O” represents the New Orleans Mint. Over 260 million Barber Quarters were struck across all dates, with a total of seventy-four different date and mint mark combinations. Some of the most valuable include the 1896-S, 1901-S, and 1913-S coins. While the 1913-S had the lowest mintage issued with 40,000 pieces, the 1901-S is actually harder to find today since more people saved 1913-S from circulation at the time.

Specifications
Weight: 6.25 grams
Composition: 90% Silver (0.18084 troy oz), 10% Copper
Diameter: 24.3mm
Edge: Reeded
Mints: Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, New Orleans