Barber Quarters Hidden Values

from NUMISMATIC NEWS magazine November 11,2003
Written by Paul M. Green

     Without a doubt, the toughest quarters of the 20th century are Barber quarters. Even though not all Barber quarters are from 1900 or later, just the tough dates, starting with the 1901-S, are more than enough to cement the claim that there are no quarters from that century that can match the Barber quarters for scarcity in any grade.
     While clearly the toughest, the Barber quarter is an interesting collection. Except for the big three - the 1896-S, 1913-S and especially the 1901-S the Barber quarter is really a collection most can attempt - at least in lower grades - on a very limited budget. The low prices can be deceptive, however, as the more you learn about Barber quarters, the more you learn to respect them.
     There was probably a time back in the 1870s or '80s when it appeared that there would never be a quarter of the United States other than the Seated Liberty quarter, which had been in production since the year 1838. Officials had fallen into one of those periods of little change, at least for the quarter. After the flood of new denominations, compositions and other changes during the Civil War, there had been relatively little activity except for silver dollars. Finally, in 1883 there was a change in the nickel design, and it was only natural that some consideration be given other denominations as well.
     One of the little mysterious parts of life is how sometimes, when confronted with the idea of changing coin designs, otherwise powerful and confident leaders get a terrible case of the jitters. In 1887 the Mint director pointed out in his annual report that there was a popular desire for new designs, but he promptly did nothing about it because he felt there was possibly a limitation in the Mint statues of 1873 and 1874. This obstacle was cleared when, on Sept. 26, 1890, legislation was passed authorizing the Treasury Department to change designs any time after 25 years of use.
   That legal matter out of the way, the Treasury embarked on a glorious program to find the best possible designs for the dime, quarter and half dollar - all of which could be changed immediately under the new law.
     The idea was a design competition, and to secure the best possible designs a letter of invitation was sent to the nation's top artists, including Augustus Saint-Gaudens, J.Q.A. Ward. Daniel French, Olin Warner Herbert, Herbert Adams, Charles S. Niehaus, Miller MacMonies, Kenyon Cox, Will S.Low and H.S. Mowbray.
     Up to the point of the invitation, things had gone smoothly, but at that point the wheels quite literally fell off the redesign wagon. The Treasury had put some effort into the idea, first changing the law and now planning a competition, and their expectation was probably that artists would be excited at the chance to design a U.S. coin.
     The artists, upon receiving their invitations, however, seemed to have a very different point of view. While not saying it directly, based on their joint response the general view seemed to be that the idea of the competition was one large pain in the neck, and one for which there was far too little compensation and far too little provision for professional considerations to make certain that the best design was selected. The artists responded with a list of suggestions, which were much closer to requirements, that they wanted taken up before they would participate. The response of the artists did not go over well at the United States Treasury. The idea of the invited competition was quickly dropped and in its place was launched an open competition with Mint Chief Engraver Charles Barber, Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Boston gem and seal engraver Henry Mitchell as the judges.
     While it might sound promising, the results of the open competition were not. Two of the judges had some problems before any designs were received, as Barber felt only he should design coins for the United States and Saint-Gaudens felt that only he and three artists living in France were qualified to design coins. With two of the three judges having somewhat less than open minds to anyone else designing the coins, it seems unlikely there was much chance for a winner. Even the Mint director was quoted in the Boston Transcript calling the whole thing a "wretched failure."

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