1895-O Barber Dime
In 1892, a new United States coinage theme developed by Mint Engraver Charles Barber appeared on the dime, quarter, and half dollar. Barber coinage, as we call it today, served the nation until 1916.(1)
Aside from the legendary 1894-S (mintage of 24, not intended as a regular issue), the undisputed key date challenge of the Barber dimes is the 1895-O. With a mintage of only 440,000, it survives in very low numbers, and is always of keen interest to coin collectors.(2)
In 1895, the nation was still suffering the economic fallout from the Panic of 1893. Fewer dimes were needed in commerce, so the Mint eased off the coining presses. The limited production was fully released into circulation, travelling extensively throughout the South.
During those years, collectors paid little attention to mintmarks,(3) so few 1895-O dimes were saved, allowing attrition to claim a heavy toll on survivorship. Estimates are 99.8% of the original output perished.(4)
As noted, the 1895-O is considered THE key date of the series, and any Barber dime enthusiast must have it to round out a collection.
Anyone with an eye toward the future cannot go wrong by purchasing an 1895-O Barber dime. Collectors should feel confident when buying, if the plan is to hold for a minimum of a few years.
The 1895-O always has been and always will be an excellent acquisition. For that reason, there are many alterations and counterfeits around, so buy only buy from a trusted source, preferably examples certified by PCGS or NGC.
| Estimated survivors in all grades: 1,000 ?
The survivor estimate from PCGS represents an average of one or more experts' opinions as to how many examples survive of a particular coin in all grades. Survival estimates include coins that are raw, certified by PCGS, and certified by other grading services. Learn more at PCGS. |
| PCGS Rarity Scale: 5.0 ?
The 'PCGS CoinFacts Rarity Scale' assesses the relative rarity of all U.S. coins, based on estimated surviving examples. The scale runs from 1.0 to 10.0. The higher the number, the rarer the coin.
Learn more at PCGS. |
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| Trendline Avg = 9.45 | CLASSIC RARITY |
Historic Value Trend Charts:
| Last updated 3-8-24 |  |
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Sources
1. Yeoman, R.S. and Garrett, Jeff, et al. A Guide Book of United States Coins, 75th ed. Pelham, AL: Whitman Publishing, 2021.
2. Stack's Bowers Galleries. 1895-O Barber dime. Jul 2005 Auction.
3. Stack's Bowers Galleries. 1895-O Barber dime. Jan 2005 Auction.
4. PCGS. 1895-O 10C (Regular Strike).
**Many very fine coin dealers sell on eBay. At any point in time, there may be over one million search results for United States coins. This includes quite a few of the recommendations on our Key Date Coin List.
If you’re thinking about purchasing a rare coin, eBay is certainly worth a look. For your convenience, the links from this site to eBay are coded to bring up only coins certified by PCGS and NGC.
As is always, always the case, never buy a valuable coin from a seller whose trustworthiness cannot be verified. Learn more about this at our chapter Best Places to Buy Coins, which also has a section on doing business on eBay.
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Coin images by Stack's Bowers Galleries.
