1895 Barber Dime
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 690,000 made
- Mintage
- 690,000
- 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 1895 Barber Dime worth?
Collectors pay a real premium for this date, worn or not, because far fewer were made than usual. Uncirculated pieces go much higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- 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 1895 Barber Dime rare?
- Somewhat. 690,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1895 Barber Dime silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0723 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1895 Barber Dime?
- On the reverse, below the bow of the wreath. Philadelphia dimes have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1895 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Philadelphia issue had a smaller mintage than the 1895.
- How many 1895 Barber Dime coins were made?
- 690,000.
What to check on your 1895
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1895 Barber Dime Proof (880 made) is the one to compare with.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. LIBERTY on the headband is the benchmark: all seven letters must be clear for Fine and above.
Never clean it. Collectors pay strong premiums for original surfaces and natural toning on a date like this. A cleaned coin can lose half its value or more.
The story of the 1895
Philadelphia made 690,000 in 1895, down from 1.3 million in 1894. The next year it made 2 million (1896).
1895-O came to 440,000 and 1895-S came to 1.1 million, so neither mint's 1895 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1897-O (666,000) and the 1894-O (720,000).
Of the 25 Barber Dimes Philadelphia struck between 1892 and 1916, this is the scarcest. Within the 1890s it's 6th smallest of 24, between the 1897-O (666,000) and the 1894-O (720,000).
More on the 1895
Philadelphia struck just 690,000 dimes in 1895, the smallest Philadelphia mintage of the Barber series. For comparison, the mint had made 12,120,000 in 1892 and would make 10,868,533 in 1897. The 1895 is a semi-key. It is the date most collectors find hardest to fill among the Philadelphia coins.
The good news is that the typical uncirculated 1895 is a nice coin, though few survive. Most circulated survivors are in Good to Very Good. Because the 1895 has no mint mark, the main thing to confirm is the date itself: make sure the final 5 is clear and has not been altered from another digit. Proofs were also struck in 1895, 880 of them. They have their own page. Worn business strikes carry a collector premium. Uncirculated coins are scarce. A coin with a full LIBERTY on the headband is a strong find. Keep any 1895 you find, whatever the mint mark.
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 1895
Mint records list Philadelphia Morgan dollars struck for circulation in 1895, but none has ever been found. Only proofs are known.
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 | 1895 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 690,000 |
| 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 1895 Barber Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1895 Barber Dime | 690,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1895 Barber Dime Proof | 880 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1895-S Barber Dime | 1,120,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1895-O Barber Dime | 440,000 | 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.