INDEX
A Barber Half Dollar contains 0.3617 troy oz of silver — about $24.63 at today's silver price.
Spot price as of August 26, 2026
About This Series
Charles Barber, then Chief Engraver of the US Mint, designed these half dollars along with matching dimes and quarters - the full "Barber coinage" introduced in 1892. The design was widely criticized from the start as stiff and uninspired, but it served for nearly a quarter century. The series has several genuinely tough dates: the 1892-O Micro O, the 1896-S, and the 1914 Philadelphia are among the hardest to find in any decent grade. Business strike survivors often come well-worn, making choice examples hard to come by and worth a meaningful premium when they show up.
Specifications
1892–1915
- Composition
- 90% Silver, 10% Copper
- Fineness
- 90.0%
- Weight
- 12.50 g
- Diameter
- 30.6 mm
- ASW
- 0.3617 oz
- Years Produced
- 1892–1915
Melt Value
Based on silver spot price of $68.09/oz
Spot price as of August 26, 2026
Mintage by year and mint
“Low mintage” marks a year at or below 10% of the median business-strike mintage for its own denomination; “Scarce for the series” marks one above 10% and at or below 25%. The median here is 1,406,000. That is a statement about how many were struck, not about how many survive or what collectors pay.
Low mintage years in this series: 1914 Philadelphia (124,230), 1915 Philadelphia (138,000).
Show all 73 issues, 1892–1915
| Year | Mint | Business strikes | Proof | Relative mintage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892 | New Orleans | 390,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1892 | Philadelphia | 934,000 | 1,245 | |
| 1892 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1893 | New Orleans | 1,389,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1893 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 792 | |
| 1893 | San Francisco | 740,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1894 | New Orleans | 2,138,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1894 | Philadelphia | 1,148,000 | 972 | |
| 1894 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1895 | New Orleans | 1,766,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1895 | Philadelphia | 1,834,338 | 880 | |
| 1895 | San Francisco | 1,108,086 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1896 | New Orleans | 924,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1896 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 762 | |
| 1896 | San Francisco | 1,140,948 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1897 | New Orleans | 632,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1897 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 731 | |
| 1897 | San Francisco | 933,900 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1898 | New Orleans | 874,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1898 | Philadelphia | 2,956,000 | 735 | |
| 1898 | San Francisco | 2,358,550 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1899 | New Orleans | 1,724,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1899 | Philadelphia | 5,538,000 | 846 | |
| 1899 | San Francisco | 1,686,411 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1900 | New Orleans | 2,744,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1900 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 912 | |
| 1900 | San Francisco | 2,560,322 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1901 | New Orleans | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1901 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 813 | |
| 1901 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1902 | New Orleans | 2,526,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1902 | Philadelphia | 4,922,000 | 777 | |
| 1902 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1903 | New Orleans | 2,100,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1903 | Philadelphia | 2,278,000 | 755 | |
| 1903 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1904 | New Orleans | 1,117,600 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1904 | Philadelphia | 2,992,000 | 670 | |
| 1904 | San Francisco | 553,038 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1905 | New Orleans | 505,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1905 | Philadelphia | 662,000 | 727 | |
| 1905 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1906 | Denver | 4,028,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1906 | New Orleans | 2,446,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1906 | Philadelphia | 2,638,000 | 675 | |
| 1906 | San Francisco | 1,740,154 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1907 | Denver | 3,856,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1907 | New Orleans | 3,946,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1907 | Philadelphia | 2,598,000 | 575 | |
| 1907 | San Francisco | 1,250,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1908 | Denver | 3,280,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1908 | New Orleans | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1908 | Philadelphia | 1,354,000 | 545 | |
| 1908 | San Francisco | 1,644,828 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1909 | New Orleans | 925,400 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1909 | Philadelphia | 2,368,000 | 650 | |
| 1909 | San Francisco | 1,764,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1910 | Philadelphia | 418,000 | 551 | |
| 1910 | San Francisco | 1,948,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1911 | Denver | 695,080 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1911 | Philadelphia | 1,406,000 | 543 | |
| 1911 | San Francisco | 1,272,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1912 | Denver | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1912 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 700 | |
| 1912 | San Francisco | 1,370,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1913 | Denver | 534,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1913 | Philadelphia | 188,000 | 627 | Scarce for the series |
| 1913 | San Francisco | 604,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1914 | Philadelphia | 124,230 | 380 | Low mintage |
| 1914 | San Francisco | 992,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1915 | Denver | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1915 | Philadelphia | 138,000 | 450 | Low mintage |
| 1915 | San Francisco | 1,604,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| Mintages as published by NGC Coin Explorer, 2026-03 snapshot. Covers 1892–1915. NGC Coin Explorer does not list every date and mint, so this is what it publishes rather than a complete census. A further 1 listing it does publish is omitted here because NGC Coin Explorer records no single striking mint for it. | ||||