Guess the New Orleans dates...

mr1931S

Coin a
Coin b

Guess the year:
Coin a was minted in what year? Coin b was minted in what year?

For entertainment purposes only...i'll post the obverses 24 hours from now...just before noon MST 11/28...

good luck!

KlectorKid

is it possible?

nwcs

All I know is that I want 'em.

Placid

A-1908
B-1892

mr1931S

yes,it is possible to know...
it just depends on the time you're willing to invest to solve this riddle...

hint:neither coin was made in 1904

Gilbert

A. 1905

B. Could also be 1905. Not being a Barber dime specialist, I don't know if there is a way to pinpoint B with any degree of certainty.

Cam40

a.`01 O

b `03 O

roadrunner

a: 98-0, b: 08-0 ??????

roadrunner

mr1931S

ttt and another hint...

Notice that the right ribbon on both dimes has an "extra fold"...Charles Barber,for reasons unknown,made a slight change to the design on the reverse (added an extra fold to the right ribbon) for Barber dimes minted after 1900...All Barber dimes with dates before 1901 have a thin right ribbon without the fold (a genuine '95-O,as well as '94-S,will have a thin right ribbon).He made a slight,but noticeable to the naked eye, change to the obverse design for dimes minted after 1900 as well...

noone has guessed correctly for either coin...those who have already made a guess...feel free to guess again...those who have not yet made a guess give it a shot...i'll reveal the obverse images about 10 hours from now...it is possible to know what the date of coin a is and what the date of coin b is if you are willing to search...

In any case,the odds of guessing correctly are now 64 to 1 (1/8 times 1/8) with this new hint...

mr1931S

Coin a obverse
Coin b obverse


Has the toned piece got a great strike or what!?...

Happy thanksgiving everyone!

Trime

mr1874,
Great puzzle. Thanks for the diagnostic clue! But the two mint marks are differently placed . Are they both 1909s?

Gilbert

Since I don't collect Barber dimes, I haven't picked up any references yet, but in the RedBook, it indicates there are only two sizes of the "O" mintmark, a microscopic and a larger one. The MM on those coins appear to be different sizes, so I guessed '05, since that is the only one (according to the RedBook) with a microscopic MM. Apparently, my eyes OR the RedBook have deceived me. Perfect time to enlighten us non-Barber dime specialists.

If the ribbon is the same on the coins after 1900, how is that a helpful clue, other than it must be one minted after 1900?

mr1931S

Yes,both dimes are 1909-O...the toned dime is unusual for its exceptional full struck...most 1909-O's come very softly struck...the white dime (coin a) is a typical example of 1909-O...i own the toned 1909-O...it has a few contact marks which i wish weren't there...the reverse is better than the obverse...

There are a quite a few different mintmark positions for the New Orleans Barber dimes...
One will see the "O" tilting to the left on some,to the the right on others and positioned in various places below the bow;different positions and tilt of the "O" mint mark even in dimes of the same year of mintage...i agree with Gilbert that the mintmarks used for the two 1909-O's do appear to be different sizes...

The extra fold in the right ribbon bow distinguishes Barber dimes minted after 1900 from those minted before 1901...The obverse change made to Barber dimes starting in 1900 was that the leaves in Liberty's wreath are more pointed and the leaf below the second "S" in "STATES" is close...

to tell you the truth i wouldn't be able to pinpoint the year of mintage just looking at the reverse of a Barber dime other than being able to identify whether it was minted 1892-1900 or 1901-1909...so i'd be guessing about the exact year of mintage too...