1894 Barber Dime Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 972 made
- Mintage
- 972
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 2.5 g
- Diameter
- 17.9 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1894 Barber Dime Proof worth?
Few coins in the series are harder to find. Even a worn 1894 sells well above face value. The flip side is that counterfeits and altered dates are common, so authentication matters.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1894 Barber Dime Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 972 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1894 Barber Dime Proof silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0723 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1894 Barber Dime?
- On the reverse, below the bow of the wreath. Philadelphia dimes have no mint mark.
- How many 1894 Barber Dime proofs were made?
- 972.
What to check on your 1894
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Judge the grade under good light. LIBERTY on the headband is the benchmark: all seven letters must be clear for Fine and above.
Proofs from 1894 were struck one at a time in small numbers and many were later spent or mishandled. Look for hairlines from cleaning, which lower the grade.
The story of the 1894
Hard times and the rarest dimes (1894 to 1897)
Demand for new coins was weak during the depression of the mid-1890s and Barber dime mintages show it. Philadelphia struck 1,330,000 in 1894, 690,000 in 1895 and 2,000,000 in 1896 before rebounding to 10,868,533 in 1897. New Orleans never reached a million in these four years, with 720,000 in 1894, 440,000 in 1895, 610,000 in 1896 and 666,000 in 1897. San Francisco made 1,120,000 in 1895 and 1,342,844 in 1897, so its coins of those years are scarce but not keys.
This is where the rarities of the series cluster. The 1895-O, with 440,000 struck, is the key among regular business strikes and is usually found heavily worn. The 1895 is the scarcest Philadelphia date. The 1894-O, 1896-O, 1896-S (575,056) and 1897-O are semi-keys. Above them all sits the 1894-S, of which San Francisco struck just 24 pieces in proof format for reasons that have never been fully explained. Only about ten are believed to survive.
Scarce dates attract altered and counterfeit coins, so a key date from these years deserves a slow, careful look. Check the mint mark under magnification for a clean outline, the right size and no seam where it meets the field. Then compare the date digits with each other for matching style and spacing. Worn examples of the key dates still carry a collector premium, while the Philadelphia 1897 is a common date that trades close to metal value in low grades.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1894
The San Francisco Mint struck just 24 dimes dated 1894, one of the most famous rarities in American coinage.
How to recognize it
Barber's Liberty faces right, her hair gathered under a Phrygian cap and crowned with a laurel wreath. A narrow band above her forehead carries the word LIBERTY in tiny letters and that band is the first detail to wear away. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA circles the portrait with the date below. Unlike the Barber quarter and half dollar, the dime has no stars and no IN GOD WE TRUST, because there was simply no room for the motto. The reverse was carried over from the last Seated Liberty dimes: a wreath of corn, wheat, maple and oak leaves, tied with a bow at the bottom, around the words ONE DIME. Branch mint coins show an O, S or D just below the bow. The coin is 17.9 mm across, weighs 2.5 grams and has a reeded edge.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Barber Dime (1892–1916) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1894 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 972 |
| Face value | 10¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 2.5 grams |
| Diameter | 17.9 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.0723 troy oz (2.250 g) |
| Designer | Charles E. Barber |
Other 1894 Barber Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1894 Barber Dime | 1,330,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1894 Barber Dime Proof | 972 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1894-S Barber Dime | 24 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1894-O Barber Dime | 720,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
Mintage: US Mint records as published in standard references, each figure checked against at least two independent sources. How we build these pages.