The Barber Quarter was produced at the U.S. Mint's Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and New Orleans branch locations until 1916. In that year, it was replaced by the Standing Liberty Quarter. A total of 75,637,000 Barber Quarters were struck from 1892-1916, including 28,344 Proofs for collectors. During the final two years of production, the Denver and San Francisco Mints struck Quarters with the legends "In God We Trust" and the motto "E Pluribus Unum," both of which are still features of current U.S. coins.
The Barber Quarter was made of 90% silver, which made it vulnerable to being melted down and converted into raw silver bullion. Today, many original Barber Quarters are hard to find in higher grades due to their extensive circulation. Collectors seeking to obtain an uncirculated specimen will likely have to pay a premium for it.
Grade for grade, the dates of the Barbers Quarters vary in value. The rarest and most valuable dates in the series are the 1895-O and 1908-D, which can sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on the quality of the coin. Other dates can range from several hundred dollars to merely a few dollars.
Overall, the Barber Quarter is an important part of United States numismatic history. It is a significant coin for both beginning and experienced collectors alike. Despite its vulnerability to melting, many of these coins still exist and can be collected in a variety of conditions - though obtaining the hard-to-find higher graded specimens will certainly take some effort.
The 1909 Proof Barber Quarter coin, has a total mintage of 650, struck at the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania mint, and made of silver (.900) (.100 copper). Weighing 6.25 grams, with a diameter of 24.3 mm, and a thickness of 1.75 mm, and featuring a reeded edge.
The obverse is the bust of miss liberty right with the designer's initials below the truncation of the neck, motto above, 13 stars around. It reads “IN GOD WE TRUST
B
1905”. The reverse is heraldic eagle with 13 stars above and the denomination below, with the country name surrounding the rim. It reads “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
E PLURIBUS UNUM
QUARTER DOLLAR”.
