1910-S Barber Dime
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 1,240,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,240,000
- 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 1910-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 1910-S Barber Dime rare?
- Somewhat. 1,240,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1910-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 a 1910 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 1910 are scarcer?
- The 1913-S at 510,000, the 1915-S at 960,000, the 1909-S at 1,000,000. So the 1910-S is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1910-S Barber Dime coins were made?
- 1,240,000.
What to check on your 1910-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 1910-D (3.5 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 1910 Barber Dime Proof (551 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.
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 1910-S
Output at San Francisco climbed to 1,240,000 in 1910, from 1 million the year before. The next year it made 3.5 million (1911-S).
The other mints made far more that year: 1910 alone came to 12 million, roughly 9.3 for every 1910-S. If you're checking a pile of 1910 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1894 (1,330,000) and the 1897-S (1,342,844).
San Francisco 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 1894-S (24). Within the 1910s it's 3rd smallest of 18, between the 1915-S (960,000) and the 1914-S (2.1 million).
New Orleans bows out (1909 to 1912)
The New Orleans Mint struck its last dimes in 1909, a run of 2,287,000. New Orleans never struck coins again. Denver's 1909 output was only 954,000, the lowest Denver figure of the series, while San Francisco made exactly 1,000,000. Those three coins are the better dates of the period and each brings more than the Philadelphia dates in any grade.
From 1910 Denver took over much of the branch mint work. Its mintages rose from 3,490,000 in 1910 to 11,209,000 in 1911 and 11,760,000 in 1912, while San Francisco ranged from 1,240,000 to 3,520,000. Philadelphia stayed between 10,240,000 and 19,349,300 a year. The total for 1909 to 1912 came to 98,859,300 dimes. The 1910-S, with 1,240,000 struck, is the scarcest coin dated after 1909 in this group. By now the Barber dime had been the ordinary dime in every pocket for nearly two decades, so most of these coins wore down quickly.
Proof mintages in these years ran between 543 and 700 a year. Those proofs are listed on their own pages. For an ordinary circulated coin, focus on LIBERTY and the rims. Late Barber dimes circulated for decades and many reached About Good, where the rims run into the legend and only part of the date shows. A coin from these years with a sharp, complete LIBERTY is a cut above the typical survivor and deserves a better place in a collection.
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 | 1910 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,240,000 |
| 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 1910 Barber Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 Barber Dime | 11,520,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1910 Barber Dime Proof | 551 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1910-D Barber Dime | 3,490,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1910-S Barber Dime | 1,240,000 | 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.