1894-S Barber Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 2,648,821 made
- Mintage
- 2,648,821
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 6.25 g
- Diameter
- 24.3 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 1894-S Barber Quarter worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.1808 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 1894-S Barber Quarter rare?
- No. 2.6 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1894-S Barber Quarter silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1894 Barber Quarter?
- On the reverse, below the eagle's tail. Philadelphia quarters have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1894 are scarcer?
- The 1896-S at 188,039, the 1897-S at 542,229, the 1899-S at 708,000, plus 4 more. So the 1894-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1894-S Barber Quarter coins were made?
- 2,648,821.
What to check on your 1894-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 1894-O (2.9 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 1894 Barber Quarter Proof (972 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: a full, sharp LIBERTY is required for Very 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 1894-S
Output at San Francisco climbed to 2,648,821 in 1894, from 1.5 million the year before. The next year it made 1.8 million (1895-S).
1894-O came to 2.9 million and 1894 came to 3.4 million, so neither mint's 1894 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Of the 21 Barber Quarters San Francisco struck between 1892 and 1915, none was made in bigger numbers. The scarcest San Francisco issue is the 1913-S at 40,000. Within the 1890s it's 13th smallest of 24, between the 1899-O (2.6 million) and the 1895-O (2.8 million).
Charles Barber's debut and two reverse types (1892 to 1895)
Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber's design replaced the Seated Liberty quarter in 1892. Liberty wears a cap, a laurel wreath and a headband inscribed LIBERTY. The reverse uses a heraldic eagle adapted from the Great Seal. Philadelphia, New Orleans and San Francisco all struck quarters from the start, with the mint mark below the eagle.
Early 1892 coins show the Type 1 reverse, on which the eagle's wing covers only about half of the E in UNITED. A modified Type 2 reverse later that year covers nearly all of the letter. Specialists collect both types. Mintages in these years run from about 964,000 for the 1892-S upward, so no date of the era is a true rarity. Most survivors are worn to Good or Very Good, where the rims have merged into the legends.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1894
The San Francisco Mint struck just 24 dimes dated 1894, one of the most famous rarities in American coinage.
How to recognize it
Charles Barber's Liberty faces right wearing a cap, a laurel wreath and a headband inscribed LIBERTY, with IN GOD WE TRUST above and 13 stars around. The reverse shows a heraldic eagle holding arrows and an olive branch with a ribbon reading E PLURIBUS UNUM. The mint mark sits below the eagle's tail. On worn coins, the letters of LIBERTY are the first thing to fade.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Barber Quarter (1892–1916) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1894 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 2,648,821 |
| Face value | 25¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 6.25 grams |
| Diameter | 24.3 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.1808 troy oz (5.625 g) |
| Designer | Charles E. Barber |
Other 1894 Barber Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1894 Barber Quarter | 3,432,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1894 Barber Quarter Proof | 972 | Proof | 0.1808 oz |
| 1894-S Barber Quarter | 2,648,821 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1894-O Barber Quarter | 2,852,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
Mintage: United States quarter mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.