1913-S Barber Quarter
Charles Barber’s quarter made its first appearance in 1892 and continued through 1916.
There is a trio of standout key dates in the Barber quarter series: The 1896-S, 1901-S, and the 1913-S. Notably, all three merit inclusion on the recommended Key Date List on the basis of their consistent record of price escalation.
Fascinating Fact: With a production of only 40,000 pieces, the 1913-S Barber Quarter has the lowest mintage of all non-gold, regular issue United States coins from the 20th century.(1)
PCGS estimates there are 2500 extant examples of the 1913-S, equating to a survival rate of 6.25%, more than double its “Big Three” brethren.(2)
The explanation for this discrepancy is rooted in the evolution of mintmark collecting. The release of the 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent proved how a small mintmark can make a big difference in value.(3)
In 1913, when the San Francisco Mint turned out a historically low number of quarters, foresighted numismatists hustled to locate 1913-S quarters for their collections.(4)
Ironically, had collectors a century ago not been as diligent in setting aside the 1913-S Barber quarter, it might currently rank as one of the greatest rarities in United States numismatics. Regardless, it deserves respect from discerning collectors of today in search of an established winner.
| Estimated survivors in all grades: 2500 ?
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: 4.5 ?
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. |
| Click HERE to check for availability on eBay** |
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| Trendline Avg = 15.37 | GOOD |
Historic Value Trend Charts:
| Last updated 4-9-24 |  |
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| Compare to Common Date Coin of Same Type | ||
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Sources
1. Heritage Auctions. Finest Known, Mint State 68 1913-S Barber Quarter. Jan 2005 Auction.
2. PCGS. 1913-S 25C (Regular Strike).
3. Heritage Auctions. 1913-S 25C MS67. Jan 2021 Auction.
4. Heritage Auctions. 1913-S 25C MS67. Jan 2021 Auction.
**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.
