1903-S Barber Dime

The story of the 1903-S

Production at San Francisco fell off a cliff in 1903. Only 613,300 were made, against 2.1 million the year before. That drop is why the 1903-S is the one people look for. The next year it made 800,000 (1904-S).

The other mints made far more that year: 1903 alone came to 20 million, roughly 32 for every 1903-S. If you're checking a pile of 1903 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1896-O (610,000) and the 1901-S (593,022).

San Francisco struck the Barber Dime in 25 issues between 1892 and 1916. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 1894-S (24). Among the 1900s issues, only the 1901-S had a smaller run.

More on the 1903-S

San Francisco struck 613,300 dimes in 1903, while Philadelphia made 19,500,000 and New Orleans 8,180,000. That makes the 1903-S unusually scarce for a coin of its era and one of the semi-keys of the series.

Anyone hunting one in better condition needs patience. Coins that escaped heavy wear are much harder to find than worn ones. It remains scarce in every grade, so a nice example is worth waiting for. Check the S for a clean outline and compare the date digits for matching style. A worn coin with a readable LIBERTY carries a collector premium. Uncirculated pieces are scarce. If you're sorting 1903 dimes, the S is the one worth setting aside.

The 1903-S also shows how uneven San Francisco's dime output was in these years. The mint had struck 2,070,000 in 1902 and would strike 800,000 in 1904, so the 1903 figure is low even by its own standards. Because so many more 1903 dimes came from Philadelphia and New Orleans, a quick look at the space below the bow is the fastest way to spot this one.

Big Philadelphia runs and two San Francisco semi-keys (1898 to 1903)

Prosperity returned at the end of the decade. Philadelphia struck between 16,320,000 and 21,380,000 dimes every year from 1898 to 1903 and New Orleans reached 8,180,000 in 1903. Across the six years the three mints made 150,614,257 Barber dimes, so most dates from this stretch are easy to find in worn condition and make good, inexpensive fillers for an album. Proofs were struck every year in small numbers, between 735 and 912 a year in this stretch. They are listed on their own pages.

San Francisco is the exception. Its output swung from 5,168,270 in 1900 down to 593,022 in 1901 and 613,300 in 1903. Those two coins are the semi-keys of the period. The 1901-S was the first twentieth century Barber dime of real scarcity. The 1903-S is unusually scarce for a coin struck so late. Both are hard to find in uncirculated condition and carry a collector premium in any grade.

New Orleans dimes of these years, from 2,010,000 in 1900 up to 8,180,000 in 1903, tend to be softly struck, with weak detail in the wreath and on Liberty's hair. Don't mistake a weak strike for wear. Judge the grade from LIBERTY on the headband and the high points of the wreath. Remember that many coins of the era survive only in low grades because they circulated for decades before anyone thought to save them.