BARBER DIME PEOPLE....HELP! I found this mixed in with grandpa's old change.

TheLiberator

Huy guys. I was rooting through my grandfather's old coins and in a bag of old mercs was this lone 1894 barber dime. i know nothing about these but mintage figures would suggest this is a better date. I know it is a crappy scan and the coin is in a 2 by 2, but could you tell me what yo think about the grade? Is it worth slabbing?

ANY help would be greatly appreciated!

mgoodm3

needs an "s" on it.

Gonfunko

I'm guessing VF - EF since LIBERTY is so sharp on the headband. The reverse looks to have very good details, so I'm leaning towards EF. Redbook puts the VF price at $100 and EF at $125. I would slab it, but it's really your choice. The Greysheet prices are essentially the same.

ARCO

Looks like a well patinated XF or better. In all the barber series coins in the 1800 years are generally scarcer than their later counterparts. While the 1894 is not terribly scarce, it is still a lower mintage early date, and not a bad find at all.

Whether to holder or not? I don't think it would add any more value to the coin or resaleability beyond paying for the shipping and holdering costs.

nccoin

nice XF+ coin. Great find! You don't see this date very ofter in a higher grade like that.

boyhowdy

Original 45-50. Post it with the same scan and it will bring $100+ raw. If there is any luster on the coin mention it in the banner. I have done a fair amount of research on posting these coins and I suggest this banner on eBay:

"1894 Barber dime ORIGINAL XF/AU w/luster"

The '94 is real flat above Fine -- F = $75 VF = 90 XF = 110 AU = 120 (CDN: 3/04) and most in this range are cleaned or have other problems. Your coin is head and shoulders above the norm and should bring full bid or better.

I guarantee at least $100 as that will be my first bid.

Steve

dorkkarl

xf detail, value as vf-30 due to the noise on the cheek. a REALLY nice find, imo. i seriuosly doubt plastic would help you bring a better price on that coin. in that grade, anyone really collecting dimes knows what it's worth.

K S

TheLiberator

Thanks for all of your help guys!!!

coynclecter

I still have the 1894 my great grampa took in from his ice cream stand in front of the US mint in San Francisco. He said she was such a sweet little girl who spent it, he put it in a neckless and wore it for years.

coinlieutenant

XF coin...

pursuitofliberty

I'd say BoyHowdy has it right. It's an EF-45 or an AU-50, depending on which side of the table you're on. Should bring the C-note without a problem. Let us know if you list it anywhere.

granddad

NIce find and a very nice coin. I personally wouldnt send it in. With only a $30 spread from vf to au, you have no gain potential. It will stand on its own raw.

Louis

Option1

Is field nice? The pic looks a little rough on the field obverse right??

ccex

Boyhowdy said it best. This coin appears to be an original, no=problem Xf-45. If there is original luster remaining, mention it in an auction title, and there will be plenty of us bidding on eBay, even though it is not one of the key dates.

If it were slabbed, I wouldn't bid any higher if I saw this coin on eBay or at a show, since I keep almost all of my best Barber Dimes in one of my five albums and am confident in my grading after 5 years of concentrating on this series. I know a few other Barber Dime collectors who do the same, and simply wish to avoid the effort of cracking a slab before storing it in their album. Slabbed Barber Dimes are for type collectors, registry set collectors, and sellers who need to assure skeptical buyers. Unfortunately, better date XF-45 Barber Dimes don't appeal to those audiences.

Casey

Yes, I would go XF too. I just added an 1894 to my collection this week (NGC AU55). Nice date.

Casey