1906 Barber Quarter Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 675 made
- Mintage
- 675
- 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 a 1906 Barber Quarter Proof worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1906 is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
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 1906 Barber Quarter Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 675 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1906 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 a 1906 Barber Quarter?
- On the reverse, below the eagle's tail. Philadelphia quarters have no mint mark.
- How many 1906 Barber Quarter proofs were made?
- 675.
What to check on your 1906
- 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 1906 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 1906
Denver joins in 1906 (1902 to 1908)
Steady demand kept Philadelphia mintages between about 9.6 and 12.2 million from 1902 to 1904, while New Orleans and San Francisco struck from about 1 to 4.7 million each. San Francisco made no quarters in 1904 or 1906. The 1905-O (1,230,000) and the 1908-S (784,000) are the scarcer coins of the period.
The new Denver Mint struck its first quarters in 1906, a total of 3,280,000 with a D below the eagle. In 1907 and 1908 all four mints struck quarters at once, a first for the denomination. Coins of these years are among the most available Barber quarters in circulated grades. Uncirculated pieces from New Orleans often show soft strikes at the eagle's claws and the top of the shield, so sharpness varies more than the mintages suggest.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1906
The Denver Mint began striking coins in 1906, using the "D" mint mark.
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 | 1906 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 675 |
| 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 1906 Barber Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 Barber Quarter | 3,655,760 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1906 Barber Quarter Proof | 675 | Proof | 0.1808 oz |
| 1906-D Barber Quarter | 3,280,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1906-O Barber Quarter | 2,056,000 | 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.