1916-S Barber Dime
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 5,820,000 made
- Mintage
- 5,820,000
- 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 1916-S 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 1916-S Barber Dime rare?
- No. 5.8 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1916-S 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 1916 Barber Dime?
- On the reverse, below the bow of the wreath. Philadelphia dimes have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1916 are scarcer?
- The 1913-S at 510,000, the 1915-S at 960,000, the 1914-S at 2,100,000, plus 2 more. So the 1916-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1916-S Barber Dime coins were made?
- 5,820,000.
What to check on your 1916-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1916 (18 million made).
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- 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 1916-S
San Francisco ramped up hard in 1916: 5,820,000 coins, about 6.1 times the 1915 run. It was also the last year of the series.
1916 came to 18 million, so neither mint's 1916 coin is much scarcer than the other.
San Francisco struck the Barber Dime in 25 issues between 1892 and 1916. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1894-S (24). Within the 1910s it's 9th smallest of 18, between the 1915 (5.6 million) and the 1911-D (11 million).
The 1913-S and the last Barber dimes (1913 to 1916)
Philadelphia kept production high in the final years, striking 19,760,000 in 1913, 17,360,230 in 1914 and 18,490,000 in 1916, with a dip to 5,620,000 in 1915. Denver struck Barber dimes only in 1914, a run of 11,908,000. It made none in 1913, 1915 or 1916. Across the four years the mints made 82,528,230 Barber dimes.
San Francisco's output varied a great deal. The 1913-S, with 510,000 struck, is the last semi-key of the series and the lowest mintage of any twentieth century Barber dime. The 1915-S, at 960,000, is also scarce. In 1914 and 1916 San Francisco struck 2,100,000 and 5,820,000, so those dates are easy to find. Both final dates are common because Philadelphia and San Francisco struck millions of Barber dimes before the new design was ready.
Proof production ended with very small runs: 425 in 1914 and 450 in 1915, the lowest proof mintages of the series, with no proofs in 1916. Weinman's Mercury dime replaced the Barber design late in 1916, which makes the 1916 and 1916-S the last Barber dimes. Many coins from these years show heavy wear from decades of use. Check that the date and mint mark are clear and that the headband still shows LIBERTY, since a full, sharp LIBERTY on a late date marks a coin of Fine or better and lifts it well above the many worn survivors.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1916
A new generation of silver designs arrived: the Mercury dime, the Standing Liberty quarter and the Walking Liberty half dollar. The first Standing Liberty quarters were struck in very small numbers late in the 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 | 1916 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 5,820,000 |
| 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 1916 Barber Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 Barber Dime | 18,490,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1916-S Barber Dime | 5,820,000 | 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.