1897 Barber Dime
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 10,868,533 made
- Mintage
- 10,868,533
- 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 1897 Barber Dime worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.0723 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1897 Barber Dime rare?
- No. 11 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1897 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 1897 Barber Dime?
- On the reverse, below the bow of the wreath. Philadelphia dimes have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1897 are scarcer?
- The 1895 at 690,000, the 1894 at 1,330,000, the 1896 at 2,000,000, plus 1 more. So the 1897 is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1897 Barber Dime coins were made?
- 10,868,533.
What to check on your 1897
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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 1897 Barber Dime Proof (731 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.
Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.
The story of the 1897
Philadelphia ramped up hard in 1897: 10,868,533 coins, about 5.4 times the 1896 run. The next year it made 16 million (1898).
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1897-O (666,000) and 1897-S (1.3 million).
Philadelphia struck the Barber Dime in 25 issues between 1892 and 1916. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 1895 (690,000). Within the 1890s it's 21st smallest of 24, between the 1892-O (3.8 million) and the 1892 (12 million).
Hard times and the rarest dimes (1894 to 1897)
Demand for new coins was weak during the depression of the mid-1890s and Barber dime mintages show it. Philadelphia struck 1,330,000 in 1894, 690,000 in 1895 and 2,000,000 in 1896 before rebounding to 10,868,533 in 1897. New Orleans never reached a million in these four years, with 720,000 in 1894, 440,000 in 1895, 610,000 in 1896 and 666,000 in 1897. San Francisco made 1,120,000 in 1895 and 1,342,844 in 1897, so its coins of those years are scarce but not keys.
This is where the rarities of the series cluster. The 1895-O, with 440,000 struck, is the key among regular business strikes and is usually found heavily worn. The 1895 is the scarcest Philadelphia date. The 1894-O, 1896-O, 1896-S (575,056) and 1897-O are semi-keys. Above them all sits the 1894-S, of which San Francisco struck just 24 pieces in proof format for reasons that have never been fully explained. Only about ten are believed to survive.
Scarce dates attract altered and counterfeit coins, so a key date from these years deserves a slow, careful look. Check the mint mark under magnification for a clean outline, the right size and no seam where it meets the field. Then compare the date digits with each other for matching style and spacing. Worn examples of the key dates still carry a collector premium, while the Philadelphia 1897 is a common date that trades close to metal value in low grades.
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 | 1897 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 10,868,533 |
| 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 1897 Barber Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 Barber Dime | 10,868,533 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1897 Barber Dime Proof | 731 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1897-S Barber Dime | 1,342,844 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1897-O Barber Dime | 666,000 | 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.