How to Identify the Barber Dime
A visual walkthrough of the Barber dime's Liberty head obverse, wreath reverse, mint mark placement, and the wear points collectors use to gauge condition.
Read the full Barber Dime encyclopedia entry →
What It Is
The Barber dime, designed by Charles E. Barber, was struck from 1892 to 1916. It shares its general design style with the Barber quarter and half dollar issued during the same years, all featuring the same Liberty head portrait scaled to each denomination.
Obverse (Front)
A right-facing head of Liberty wears a laurel wreath and cap inscribed "LIBERTY" on a headband. "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" arcs around the upper rim, and the date sits at the bottom.
Reverse (Back)
A wreath of wheat, oak, and maple leaves encircles "ONE DIME," tied with a ribbon bow at the bottom.
Size, Weight, Metal, and Edge
The coin is 90% silver, 10% copper, 17.9 mm in diameter, weighs about 2.5 grams, and has a reeded edge.
Mint Marks
The mint mark appears on the reverse, below the wreath's ribbon bow, near the bottom rim: "O" for New Orleans, "S" for San Francisco, "D" for Denver, or no letter for Philadelphia.
Telling It Apart from Similar Coins
Barber dimes are easy to distinguish from the earlier Seated Liberty dime (a full seated figure rather than a head) and the later Mercury dime (a winged cap portrait, not a laurel wreath, and "ONE DIME" spelled out differently on the reverse). Within the Barber series itself, the main identification task is reading the date and mint mark correctly, since several dates and mint combinations are much scarcer than others, most notably 1894-S.
Judging Condition at a Glance
Because Liberty's head is in high relief on a small coin, it wears down quickly; the cheek, hair above the ear, and the leaves of the wreath just above the cap show wear first. On well-worn coins the wreath tips and ribbon bow on the reverse also flatten noticeably. Fully struck, sharp hair detail and a bold rim indicate a higher-grade example.
Authenticity Red Flags
The 1894-S, with an extremely small original mintage, is the date most often counterfeited or created by altering a common-date coin's final digit or adding a fake "S" mint mark. Genuine mint marks are struck with consistent depth and font matching other coins from the same era; a mint mark that appears soldered on, is misshapen, or sits at an unusual height below the ribbon is a sign of alteration, as is an implausibly sharp date on an otherwise heavily worn coin.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the mint mark on a Barber dime?
On the reverse, just below the ribbon bow at the bottom of the wreath.
How do I tell a Barber dime from a Mercury dime?
The Barber dime shows a laurel-wreathed Liberty head, while the Mercury dime shows Liberty wearing a winged cap; the reverse designs also differ noticeably.
What metal is the Barber dime made of?
90% silver and 10% copper, the standard 'coin silver' alloy used for U.S. silver coinage of the era.
Which parts of the coin wear down first?
Liberty's cheek and the hair just above her ear on the obverse, and the tips of the wreath leaves and ribbon bow on the reverse.