1893 Barber Quarter Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 792 made
- Mintage
- 792
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 6.25 g
- Diameter
- 24.3 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 1893 Barber Quarter Proof worth?
Few coins in the series are harder to find. Even a worn 1893 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 1893 Barber Quarter Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 792 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1893 Barber Quarter Proof silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1893 Barber Quarter?
- On the reverse, below the eagle's tail. Philadelphia quarters have no mint mark.
- How many 1893 Barber Quarter proofs were made?
- 792.
What to check on your 1893
- 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: a full, sharp LIBERTY is required for Very Fine and above.
Proofs from 1893 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 1893
Charles Barber's debut and two reverse types (1892 to 1895)
Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber's design replaced the Seated Liberty quarter in 1892. Liberty wears a cap, a laurel wreath and a headband inscribed LIBERTY. The reverse uses a heraldic eagle adapted from the Great Seal. Philadelphia, New Orleans and San Francisco all struck quarters from the start, with the mint mark below the eagle.
Early 1892 coins show the Type 1 reverse, on which the eagle's wing covers only about half of the E in UNITED. A modified Type 2 reverse later that year covers nearly all of the letter. Specialists collect both types. Mintages in these years run from about 964,000 for the 1892-S upward, so no date of the era is a true rarity. Most survivors are worn to Good or Very Good, where the rims have merged into the legends.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1893
The Carson City Mint struck its last coins in 1893. A financial panic that year led to the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.
How to recognize it
Charles Barber's Liberty faces right wearing a cap, a laurel wreath and a headband inscribed LIBERTY, with IN GOD WE TRUST above and 13 stars around. The reverse shows a heraldic eagle holding arrows and an olive branch with a ribbon reading E PLURIBUS UNUM. The mint mark sits below the eagle's tail. On worn coins, the letters of LIBERTY are the first thing to fade.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Barber Quarter (1892–1916) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1893 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 792 |
| Face value | 25¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 6.25 grams |
| Diameter | 24.3 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.1808 troy oz (5.625 g) |
| Designer | Charles E. Barber |
Other 1893 Barber Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1893 Barber Quarter | 5,444,023 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1893 Barber Quarter Proof | 792 | Proof | 0.1808 oz |
| 1893-S Barber Quarter | 1,454,535 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1893-O Barber Quarter | 3,396,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
Mintage: United States quarter mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.