1909 Barber Dime
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 10,240,000 made
- Mintage
- 10,240,000
- 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 a 1909 Barber Dime worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.0723 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1909 Barber Dime rare?
- No. 10 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1909 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 a 1909 Barber Dime?
- On the reverse, below the bow of the wreath. Philadelphia dimes have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1909 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Philadelphia issue had a smaller mintage than the 1909.
- How many 1909 Barber Dime coins were made?
- 10,240,000.
What to check on your 1909
- 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 1909 Barber Dime Proof (650 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. LIBERTY on the headband is the benchmark: all seven letters must be clear for Fine and above.
Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.
The story of the 1909
At 10,240,000, the 1909 run at Philadelphia was close to the 1908 figure. The next year it made 12 million (1910).
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1909-D (954,000) and 1909-S (1 million) and 1909-O (2.3 million).
Philadelphia 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 1895 (690,000). Within the 1900s it's 24th smallest of 33, between the 1903-O (8.2 million) and the 1908 (11 million).
New Orleans bows out (1909 to 1912)
The New Orleans Mint struck its last dimes in 1909, a run of 2,287,000. New Orleans never struck coins again. Denver's 1909 output was only 954,000, the lowest Denver figure of the series, while San Francisco made exactly 1,000,000. Those three coins are the better dates of the period and each brings more than the Philadelphia dates in any grade.
From 1910 Denver took over much of the branch mint work. Its mintages rose from 3,490,000 in 1910 to 11,209,000 in 1911 and 11,760,000 in 1912, while San Francisco ranged from 1,240,000 to 3,520,000. Philadelphia stayed between 10,240,000 and 19,349,300 a year. The total for 1909 to 1912 came to 98,859,300 dimes. The 1910-S, with 1,240,000 struck, is the scarcest coin dated after 1909 in this group. By now the Barber dime had been the ordinary dime in every pocket for nearly two decades, so most of these coins wore down quickly.
Proof mintages in these years ran between 543 and 700 a year. Those proofs are listed on their own pages. For an ordinary circulated coin, focus on LIBERTY and the rims. Late Barber dimes circulated for decades and many reached About Good, where the rims run into the legend and only part of the date shows. A coin from these years with a sharp, complete LIBERTY is a cut above the typical survivor and deserves a better place in a collection.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1909
The Lincoln cent replaced the Indian Head cent to mark the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Designer Victor David Brenner's initials V.D.B. on the reverse were removed within days after complaints. The New Orleans Mint struck its last coins that year.
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 | 1909 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 10,240,000 |
| 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 1909 Barber Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 Barber Dime | 10,240,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1909 Barber Dime Proof | 650 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1909-D Barber Dime | 954,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1909-S Barber Dime | 1,000,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1909-O Barber Dime | 2,287,000 | 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.