1898-S Barber Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 1,020,592 made
- Mintage
- 1,020,592
- 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 1898-S Barber Quarter 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 1898-S Barber Quarter rare?
- Somewhat. 1,020,592 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1898-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 1898 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 1898 are scarcer?
- The 1901-S at 72,664, the 1896-S at 188,039, the 1897-S at 542,229, plus 1 more. So the 1898-S is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1898-S Barber Quarter coins were made?
- 1,020,592.
What to check on your 1898-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 1898-O (1.9 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 1898 Barber Quarter Proof (735 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.
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 1898-S
Output at San Francisco climbed to 1,020,592 in 1898, from 542,229 the year before. The next year it made 708,000 (1899-S).
The other mints made far more that year: 1898 alone came to 11 million, roughly 11 for every 1898-S. If you're checking a pile of 1898 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1903-S (1,036,000) and the 1911-S (988,000).
San Francisco struck the Barber Quarter in 21 issues between 1892 and 1915. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1913-S (40,000). Within the 1890s it's 5th smallest of 24, between the 1892-S (964,079) and the 1897-O (1.4 million).
The San Francisco keys (1896 to 1901)
San Francisco's Barber quarter mintages fell sharply in these years. The 1896-S (188,039) and the 1901-S (72,664) are the two keys of the period. The 1901-S is the rarest regular Barber quarter in any grade. The 1897-S and 1899-S, with 542,229 and 708,000 struck, are also scarce in better condition.
Philadelphia, by contrast, struck between 8 and 12.6 million a year from 1897 to 1901, so Philadelphia quarters of these dates are common. Altered mint marks are a concern for the 1896-S and 1901-S, since an S can be added to a common Philadelphia coin. Check the mint mark under magnification for seams or tool marks. On worn coins the headband goes smooth, so a complete LIBERTY marks a coin of Fine or better.
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 | 1898 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,020,592 |
| 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 1898 Barber Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 Barber Quarter | 11,100,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1898 Barber Quarter Proof | 735 | Proof | 0.1808 oz |
| 1898-S Barber Quarter | 1,020,592 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1898-O Barber Quarter | 1,868,000 | 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.