1908-D Barber Dime
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 7,490,000 made
- Mintage
- 7,490,000
- 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 a 1908-D 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 1908-D Barber Dime rare?
- No. 7.5 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1908-D 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 a 1908 Barber Dime?
- On the reverse, below the bow of the wreath. Philadelphia dimes have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 1908 are scarcer?
- The 1909-D at 954,000, the 1910-D at 3,490,000, the 1906-D at 4,060,000, plus 1 more. So the 1908-D is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1908-D Barber Dime coins were made?
- 7,490,000.
What to check on your 1908-D
- Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1908-O (1.8 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 1908 Barber Dime Proof (545 made) is the one to compare with.
- 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 1908-D
Output at Denver climbed to 7,490,000 in 1908, from 4.1 million the year before. The next year it made 954,000 (1909-D).
1908-O came to 1.8 million and 1908-S came to 3.2 million and 1908 came to 11 million, so neither mint's 1908 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Denver struck the Barber Dime in 8 issues between 1906 and 1914. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1909-D (954,000). Within the 1900s it's 22nd smallest of 33, between the 1905-S (6.9 million) and the 1903-O (8.2 million).
Denver arrives and four mints at once (1904 to 1908)
New Orleans struck no dimes in 1904, leaving Philadelphia (14,600,357) and San Francisco (800,000) to cover the year. The 1904-S is the lowest mintage of the period and a better date in every grade. New Orleans returned in 1905 with 3,400,000, a run that includes a variety with an unusually small mint mark, the 1905-O Micro O.
The Denver Mint struck its first dimes in 1906, a total of 4,060,000 with a D below the wreath. From 1906 through 1909 all four mints made dimes every year, the only stretch of the series when that happened. Total output for 1904 to 1908 came to 127,607,020 coins, led by Philadelphia's 22,220,000 in 1907. The 1908-O, at 1,789,000, is the scarcest coin dated 1906 to 1908.
Nearly all survivors from these years are circulated and an uncirculated 1904-S or 1908-O carries a collector premium. When sorting, read the mint mark carefully: with four mints in operation, a worn D and a worn O can look alike and an S that has filled with dirt can be mistaken for either. For the 1905-O, compare the O with a normal New Orleans mint mark from another year; the Micro O is noticeably smaller. A soft strike or a dark, filled mint mark is not a variety, so look for a clear difference in size.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1908
Congress ordered the motto "In God We Trust" restored to US gold coins in May 1908, so both the double eagle and the eagle come in "No Motto" and "With Motto" types this year.
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 | 1908 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 7,490,000 |
| 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 1908 Barber Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 Barber Dime | 10,600,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1908 Barber Dime Proof | 545 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1908-D Barber Dime | 7,490,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1908-S Barber Dime | 3,220,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1908-O Barber Dime | 1,789,000 | 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.