1911-S Barber Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 988,000 made
- Mintage
- 988,000
- 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 1911-S Barber Quarter worth?
Collectors pay a real premium for this date, worn or not, because far fewer were made than usual. Uncirculated pieces go much higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- 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 1911-S Barber Quarter rare?
- Somewhat. 988,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1911-S Barber Quarter silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1911 Barber Quarter?
- On the reverse, below the eagle's tail. Philadelphia quarters have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1911 are scarcer?
- The 1913-S at 40,000, the 1914-S at 264,000, the 1915-S at 704,000, plus 2 more. So the 1911-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1911-S Barber Quarter coins were made?
- 988,000.
What to check on your 1911-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 1911-D (933,600 made).
- 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 1911 Barber Quarter Proof (543 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. LIBERTY on the headband is the benchmark: a full, sharp LIBERTY is required for Very Fine and above.
Never clean it. Collectors pay strong premiums for original surfaces and natural toning on a date like this. A cleaned coin can lose half its value or more.
The story of the 1911-S
San Francisco hadn't struck the Barber Quarter since 1909. When it came back in 1911, it made 988,000. The next year it made 708,000 (1912-S).
1911-D came to 933,600 and 1911 came to 3.7 million, so neither mint's 1911 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1892-S (964,079) and the 1898-S (1,020,592).
San Francisco struck the Barber Quarter in 21 issues between 1892 and 1915. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1913-S (40,000). Within the 1910s it's 7th smallest of 18, between the 1911-D (933,600) and the 1913-D (1.5 million).
New Orleans closes and the 1913-S (1909 to 1916)
New Orleans struck its last quarters in 1909, a run of 712,000 that is scarce today. Philadelphia mintages then dropped, reaching only 484,000 in 1913. The 1913-S, with just 40,000 struck, is the lowest mintage of the series and a major key. The 1914-S, at 264,000, follows it. Both are frequent targets of added mint marks, so a careful look at the S is worthwhile.
The 1911-D and 1912-S, each under one million, are also hard to find well preserved. Production rose again during World War I. Denver struck 6,540,800 quarters in 1916, the year MacNeil's Standing Liberty design replaced Barber's late in the year, which makes the 1916-D the easiest of the final dates. Late Barber quarters stayed in circulation for decades, so many are worn nearly smooth with only partial rims and dates.
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 | 1911 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 988,000 |
| 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 1911 Barber Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 Barber Quarter | 3,720,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1911 Barber Quarter Proof | 543 | Proof | 0.1808 oz |
| 1911-D Barber Quarter | 933,600 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1911-S Barber Quarter | 988,000 | 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.