1913-S Barber quarter vs 1916 standing quarter

CharlieB

David:

The 1916 standing liberty quarter with its controversial yet beautiful design plus being
a first year issue in a very popular series might very well qualify as the most popular coin
and desired coin in numismatics today. Yet the 1913-S Barber with a much lower mintage
does not even approach the price of a 1916 from VG on up. You see certified 1916 SLQ mint
states for sale quite often. You rarely see a 1913-S mint state for sale. Is it popularity alone
dictating this price difference or something else? Your opinion please.
Thanks.

- Charlie B -

homerunhall

Charlie...More people collect Standing Liberty Quarters than collect Barber quarters. Both coins are legitimately rare in all grades. The 1913-S also has the disadvantage that there are other issues in the series that are considerably rarer, i.e. 1901-S and 1896-S. In addition, the 1916 Standing Liberty quarter is the first year of issue and it's a two-year only type coin. Some would also say it's more beautiful.

The bottom line is that they are both great coins.

David