1899-S Barber Dime
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 1,867,493 made
- Mintage
- 1,867,493
- 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 1899-S Barber Dime worth?
Collectors pay a real premium for this date, worn or not, because far fewer were made than usual. Uncirculated pieces go much higher.
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 1899-S Barber Dime rare?
- Somewhat. 1,867,493 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1899-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 1899 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 1899 are scarcer?
- The 1894-S at 24, the 1896-S at 575,056, the 1901-S at 593,022, plus 5 more. So the 1899-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1899-S Barber Dime coins were made?
- 1,867,493.
What to check on your 1899-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 1899-O (2.6 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 1899 Barber Dime Proof (846 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 1899-S
Output at San Francisco climbed to 1,867,493 in 1899, from 1.7 million the year before. The next year it made 5.2 million (1900-S).
The other mints made far more that year: 1899 alone came to 20 million, roughly 11 for every 1899-S. If you're checking a pile of 1899 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1908-O (1,789,000) and the 1893-O (1,760,000).
San Francisco struck the Barber Dime in 25 issues between 1892 and 1916. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1894-S (24). Within the 1890s it's 14th smallest of 24, between the 1893-O (1.8 million) and the 1896 (2 million).
Big Philadelphia runs and two San Francisco semi-keys (1898 to 1903)
Prosperity returned at the end of the decade. Philadelphia struck between 16,320,000 and 21,380,000 dimes every year from 1898 to 1903 and New Orleans reached 8,180,000 in 1903. Across the six years the three mints made 150,614,257 Barber dimes, so most dates from this stretch are easy to find in worn condition and make good, inexpensive fillers for an album. Proofs were struck every year in small numbers, between 735 and 912 a year in this stretch. They are listed on their own pages.
San Francisco is the exception. Its output swung from 5,168,270 in 1900 down to 593,022 in 1901 and 613,300 in 1903. Those two coins are the semi-keys of the period. The 1901-S was the first twentieth century Barber dime of real scarcity. The 1903-S is unusually scarce for a coin struck so late. Both are hard to find in uncirculated condition and carry a collector premium in any grade.
New Orleans dimes of these years, from 2,010,000 in 1900 up to 8,180,000 in 1903, tend to be softly struck, with weak detail in the wreath and on Liberty's hair. Don't mistake a weak strike for wear. Judge the grade from LIBERTY on the headband and the high points of the wreath. Remember that many coins of the era survive only in low grades because they circulated for decades before anyone thought to save them.
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 | 1899 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,867,493 |
| 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 1899 Barber Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 Barber Dime | 19,850,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1899 Barber Dime Proof | 846 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1899-S Barber Dime | 1,867,493 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1899-O Barber Dime | 2,650,000 | 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.