1892-S Barber Dime
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 990,710 made
- Mintage
- 990,710
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 2.5 g
- Diameter
- 17.9 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 an 1892-S Barber Dime worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face and above their metal value. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
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 1892-S Barber Dime rare?
- Somewhat. 990,710 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1892-S Barber Dime silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0723 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1892 Barber Dime?
- On the reverse, below the bow of the wreath. Philadelphia dimes have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1892 are scarcer?
- The 1894-S at 24, the 1896-S at 575,056. So the 1892-S is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1892-S Barber Dime coins were made?
- 990,710.
What to check on your 1892-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 1892-O (3.8 million 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 1892 Barber Dime Proof (1,245 made) is the one to compare with.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. LIBERTY on the headband is the benchmark: all seven letters must be clear for 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 1892-S
1892 was the first year of the Barber Dime. San Francisco struck 990,710 of them. In 1893 the figure was 2.5 million.
The other mints made far more that year: 1892 alone came to 12 million, roughly 12 for every 1892-S. If you're checking a pile of 1892 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1909-S (1,000,000) and the 1915-S (960,000).
Across San Francisco's 25 Barber Dime issues, the hardest to find is the 1894-S with 24 made. The 1892-S is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1890s it's 8th smallest of 24, between the 1894-O (720,000) and the 1895-S (1.1 million).
More on the 1892-S
San Francisco struck 990,710 dimes in 1892, the smallest mintage of the first year. Philadelphia made 12,120,000 and New Orleans 3,841,700, so the S coin stands out as the scarce one of the debut set. It is a semi-key of the series and scarce in every grade.
Check the S below the bow of the wreath carefully: a weak or filled mint mark can be misread. An 1892-S is worth far more than an 1892 Philadelphia coin. Most survivors are worn. A coin with a full LIBERTY on the headband is a good find. Worn examples carry a collector premium, while uncirculated pieces are scarce. If the mint mark looks unusually crisp against a worn coin, look for signs of tooling.
Apart from the 24-coin 1894-S, the 1892-S had the smallest San Francisco mintage of the series until 1896. It is a coin that rewards patience, since examples with even wear and a readable LIBERTY appear only now and then. They are worth waiting for.
A new design at three mints (1892 to 1893)
Charles E. Barber's Liberty head replaced the Seated Liberty dime in 1892, after an open design competition in 1891 failed to produce anything the Mint would accept. The Chief Engraver's portrait went on the quarter and half dollar the same year. Philadelphia, New Orleans and San Francisco all struck dimes from the start, with the mint mark placed below the bow of the wreath on the reverse.
Philadelphia's 12,120,000 dimes of 1892 make it the most common date of the early years and it is easy to find in worn grades. New Orleans added 3,841,700. San Francisco struck only 990,710 that year, so the 1892-S is scarce in all grades and a good first target for anyone building a set. In 1893 output fell everywhere: Philadelphia made 3,340,000, New Orleans 1,760,000 and San Francisco 2,491,401. Across the two years the three mints struck 24,543,811 Barber dimes.
Look closely at the date on a Philadelphia 1893. Some were struck from a die on which the final 3 was punched over a 2. On this 1893/2 overdate the base of the 2 shows as a line inside the lower loop of the 3. The variety is subtle and mainly interests variety specialists, but it carries a collector premium when confirmed. For grading any coin of these years, check LIBERTY on the headband: if all seven letters are clear, the coin grades Fine or better.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1892
Charles Barber's new designs replaced the Liberty Seated dime, quarter and half dollar, which had been in use since the late 1830s.
How to recognize it
Barber's Liberty faces right, her hair gathered under a Phrygian cap and crowned with a laurel wreath. A narrow band above her forehead carries the word LIBERTY in tiny letters and that band is the first detail to wear away. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA circles the portrait with the date below. Unlike the Barber quarter and half dollar, the dime has no stars and no IN GOD WE TRUST, because there was simply no room for the motto. The reverse was carried over from the last Seated Liberty dimes: a wreath of corn, wheat, maple and oak leaves, tied with a bow at the bottom, around the words ONE DIME. Branch mint coins show an O, S or D just below the bow. The coin is 17.9 mm across, weighs 2.5 grams and has a reeded edge.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Barber Dime (1892–1916) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1892 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 990,710 |
| Face value | 10¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 2.5 grams |
| Diameter | 17.9 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.0723 troy oz (2.250 g) |
| Designer | Charles E. Barber |
Other 1892 Barber Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1892 Barber Dime | 12,120,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1892 Barber Dime Proof | 1,245 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1892-S Barber Dime | 990,710 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1892-O Barber Dime | 3,841,700 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
Mintage: US Mint records as published in standard references, each figure checked against at least two independent sources. How we build these pages.