1900-S Barber Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 1,858,585 made
- Mintage
- 1,858,585
- 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 a 1900-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 1900-S Barber Quarter rare?
- Somewhat. 1,858,585 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1900-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 a 1900 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 1900 are scarcer?
- The 1901-S at 72,664, the 1896-S at 188,039, the 1897-S at 542,229, plus 5 more. So the 1900-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1900-S Barber Quarter coins were made?
- 1,858,585.
What to check on your 1900-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 1900-O (3.4 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 1900 Barber Quarter Proof (912 made) is the one to compare with.
- 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 1900-S
Output at San Francisco climbed to 1,858,585 in 1900, from 708,000 the year before. The next year it made 72,664 (1901-S).
The other mints made far more that year: 1900 alone came to 10 million, roughly 5.4 for every 1900-S. If you're checking a pile of 1900 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1898-O (1,868,000) and the 1905-S (1,884,000).
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 1900s it's 10th smallest of 32, between the 1901-O (1.6 million) and the 1905-S (1.9 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.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1900
The Gold Standard Act of March 14, 1900 made gold the only standard for US currency.
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 | 1900 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,858,585 |
| 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 1900 Barber Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 Barber Quarter | 10,016,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1900 Barber Quarter Proof | 912 | Proof | 0.1808 oz |
| 1900-S Barber Quarter | 1,858,585 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1900-O Barber Quarter | 3,416,000 | 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.