1908 Barber Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 4,232,000 made
- Mintage
- 4,232,000
- 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 1908 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 1908 Barber Quarter rare?
- No. 4.2 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1908 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 1908 Barber Quarter?
- On the reverse, below the eagle's tail. Philadelphia quarters have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1908 are scarcer?
- The 1913 at 484,000, the 1910 at 2,244,000, the 1906 at 3,655,760, plus 1 more. So the 1908 is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1908 Barber Quarter coins were made?
- 4,232,000.
What to check on your 1908
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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 Quarter Proof (545 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.
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
Philadelphia made 4,232,000 in 1908, down from 7.2 million in 1907. The next year it made 9.3 million (1909).
1908-S came to 784,000 and 1908-D came to 5.8 million and 1908-O came to 6.2 million, so neither mint's 1908 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Philadelphia struck the Barber Quarter in 25 issues between 1892 and 1916. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 1913 (484,000). Within the 1900s it's 19th smallest of 32, between the 1906 (3.7 million) and the 1907-O (4.6 million).
Denver joins in 1906 (1902 to 1908)
Steady demand kept Philadelphia mintages between about 9.6 and 12.2 million from 1902 to 1904, while New Orleans and San Francisco struck from about 1 to 4.7 million each. San Francisco made no quarters in 1904 or 1906. The 1905-O (1,230,000) and the 1908-S (784,000) are the scarcer coins of the period.
The new Denver Mint struck its first quarters in 1906, a total of 3,280,000 with a D below the eagle. In 1907 and 1908 all four mints struck quarters at once, a first for the denomination. Coins of these years are among the most available Barber quarters in circulated grades. Uncirculated pieces from New Orleans often show soft strikes at the eagle's claws and the top of the shield, so sharpness varies more than the mintages suggest.
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
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 | 1908 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 4,232,000 |
| 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 1908 Barber Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 Barber Quarter | 4,232,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1908 Barber Quarter Proof | 545 | Proof | 0.1808 oz |
| 1908-D Barber Quarter | 5,788,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1908-S Barber Quarter | 784,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1908-O Barber Quarter | 6,244,000 | 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.