The Coinage of Charles E. Barber, Prooflike Edition

[physics-fan3.14]

With the recent pickup of a Barber Dime, I have completed a subset of my larger Prooflike Typeset - all of the Barber coinage. It is interesting to compare them side-by-side. I'll be honest, I've never been a huge fan of Barbers: the artwork is functional at best, the designs are boring. They replaced the long-running Seated Liberty series which, while not the greatest, at least had more interesting designs. When the Barber coins were finally put to rest, they were replaced with some of the greatest designs in our coinage history.

 

However, now that I own them, I have come to appreciate the fine details that some of them possess. Barber wasn't an artistic sort of fellow, but at least he was a skilled engraver. The details on the feathers of the Eagle are some of the best around.

 

What really sets these coins apart is their prooflike quality. Prooflike Barber coinage is very scarce. Just a quick rundown of the numbers: there are only 18 Liberty nickels (and I own the single NGC graded No Cents PL); 38 dimes; a whopping 40 quarters; and 28 halves (plus a DMPL that I really would like to own). These are the numbers for the entire series! It has been my experience from watching the auctions very closely that you may see one or two prooflike Barbers appear each year, if you are lucky. Most commonly, you'll find beat up and abused 61 and 62 PLs. In my opinion, you really need at least 63 to appreciate a PL, and 64 is my target grade.

 

Well, without further ado, lets get to the coins. First up we have an 1883 No Cents Liberty Nickel, graded NGC MS-65PL CAC. As previously mentioned, this is the only one (graded by NGC) in existence. ANACS has graded several No Cents PLs, and I've seen a few of them (many of them wouldn't pass muster at NGC). This coin is intricately struck, with a delicate icy blue color. The mirrors are deep and unquestionable. A little minor spotting is present, but the eye appeal of this one is undeniable.

 

 

The with-cents version of the Liberty nickel is far more common in prooflike. My example is 64PL. While the strike is average, and the eye appeal is average - its the mirrors that really set this one off. There are strong mirrors, especially on the obverse, that serve to make this a special coin.

 

 

The dime was the last piece of the puzzle for me. I bought this 63PL because it was available and I didn't know when the next chance would be to get a PL dime, but once I got it in hand I began to appreciate it more. The mirrors are clear and undeniable, and I'm slightly perplexed why it only graded 63. Die polish covers the surfaces, and I can only assume that graders may have mistaken it for hairlines. There is an intriguing patch of die roughness (maybe rust?) in the obverse field in front of her nose, and much of the die polish is concentrated around this area. I assume that the die rusted, workers attempted to repair it, and then burnished the die to blend in the polish. Either way, I get my PL coin.

 

 

Because I have a Prooflike addiction, I had to pick up this second PL quarter. 2014 has been the Year of the Barber for me, I got most of my Barbers this year. This piece has a nice strong strike, with beautiful mirrors. There is impressive cameo contrast on this coin. Both obverse and revierse are afflicted with some haziness/spotting, but a planned trip to NCS will remedy that. This one is graded 64PL. 1892 was the first year of the Barber coinage, and is by far the most common date for PL coinage (13 of the 40 are from 1892). Thus, I was able to pick this coin up for a very reasonable price!

 

 

My primary PL Quarter is much nicer. The strike is stronger, the mirrors are deeper, the fields are cleaner. It doesn't have the appealing cameo contrast of the 1892, but it makes up for it by being a scarcer date. This 64PL is a keeper, for sure.

 

 

And finally, we come to the big sister of the group: the half dollar. I've always been a fan of half dollars, and this one is no exception. The strike here is razor sharp, and the mirrors are strong enough to shave in. The fields are clean and beautiful, with just a bit of hazing/toning around the edges. While it only grades 64PL, I am perplexed at what's keeping it from a 65.

 

 

So there you have it, a guided tour of the coinage of Charles E. Barber, as illustrated by the Poe Collection of Prooflike Coins. I'd love to see your Prooflike Barbers, if you have any, and any comments on mine are welcome!

[coinman_23885]

Very cool. I didn't realize that you had already acquired the dime. Is it new?

[physics-fan3.14]

Very cool. I didn't realize that you had already acquired the dime. Is it new?

 

Yep. It arrived yesterday.

[RWB]

Very nice! Lot's of careful searching and selection in that collection.

 

Barber loved fussy detail. Take a look at the capitol building on a 1907 or 1908 short rays $20 and compare it to the mushy stars. Another example is the $5 Indian where Barber added all the tiny dots and feather details. Oddly, one of his best compositions has very sparse detail - $2.50 PPIE.

[Elbesaar]

 

Here is the first P/L Dime I had found.

 

[Jon P. Sullivan]

Nice set--thanks for sharing it.

[No+4Me]

That's a very attractive group of coins. INteresting that most of them became available to you this year, considering the small number graded.

[ldhair]

Great post. Pretty coins.

[$ilverHawk]

With the recent pickup of a Barber Dime, I have completed a subset of my larger Prooflike Typeset - all of the Barber coinage. It is interesting to compare them side-by-side. I'll be honest, I've never been a huge fan of Barbers: the artwork is functional at best, the designs are boring. They replaced the long-running Seated Liberty series which, while not the greatest, at least had more interesting designs. When the Barber coins were finally put to rest, they were replaced with some of the greatest designs in our coinage history.

 

However, now that I own them, I have come to appreciate the fine details that some of them possess. Barber wasn't an artistic sort of fellow, but at least he was a skilled engraver. The details on the feathers of the Eagle are some of the best around.

 

What really sets these coins apart is their prooflike quality. Prooflike Barber coinage is very scarce. Just a quick rundown of the numbers: there are only 18 Liberty nickels (and I own the single NGC graded No Cents PL); 38 dimes; a whopping 40 quarters; and 28 halves (plus a DMPL that I really would like to own). These are the numbers for the entire series! It has been my experience from watching the auctions very closely that you may see one or two prooflike Barbers appear each year, if you are lucky. Most commonly, you'll find beat up and abused 61 and 62 PLs. In my opinion, you really need at least 63 to appreciate a PL, and 64 is my target grade.

 

Well, without further ado, lets get to the coins. First up we have an 1883 No Cents Liberty Nickel, graded NGC MS-65PL CAC. As previously mentioned, this is the only one (graded by NGC) in existence. ANACS has graded several No Cents PLs, and I've seen a few of them (many of them wouldn't pass muster at NGC). This coin is intricately struck, with a delicate icy blue color. The mirrors are deep and unquestionable. A little minor spotting is present, but the eye appeal of this one is undeniable.

 

 

The with-cents version of the Liberty nickel is far more common in prooflike. My example is 64PL. While the strike is average, and the eye appeal is average - its the mirrors that really set this one off. There are strong mirrors, especially on the obverse, that serve to make this a special coin.

 

 

The dime was the last piece of the puzzle for me. I bought this 63PL because it was available and I didn't know when the next chance would be to get a PL dime, but once I got it in hand I began to appreciate it more. The mirrors are clear and undeniable, and I'm slightly perplexed why it only graded 63. Die polish covers the surfaces, and I can only assume that graders may have mistaken it for hairlines. There is an intriguing patch of die roughness (maybe rust?) in the obverse field in front of her nose, and much of the die polish is concentrated around this area. I assume that the die rusted, workers attempted to repair it, and then burnished the die to blend in the polish. Either way, I get my PL coin.

 

 

Because I have a Prooflike addiction, I had to pick up this second PL quarter. 2014 has been the Year of the Barber for me, I got most of my Barbers this year. This piece has a nice strong strike, with beautiful mirrors. There is impressive cameo contrast on this coin. Both obverse and revierse are afflicted with some haziness/spotting, but a planned trip to NCS will remedy that. This one is graded 64PL. 1892 was the first year of the Barber coinage, and is by far the most common date for PL coinage (13 of the 40 are from 1892). Thus, I was able to pick this coin up for a very reasonable price!

 

 

My primary PL Quarter is much nicer. The strike is stronger, the mirrors are deeper, the fields are cleaner. It doesn't have the appealing cameo contrast of the 1892, but it makes up for it by being a scarcer date. This 64PL is a keeper, for sure.

 

 

And finally, we come to the big sister of the group: the half dollar. I've always been a fan of half dollars, and this one is no exception. The strike here is razor sharp, and the mirrors are strong enough to shave in. The fields are clean and beautiful, with just a bit of hazing/toning around the edges. While it only grades 64PL, I am perplexed at what's keeping it from a 65.

 

 

So there you have it, a guided tour of the coinage of Charles E. Barber, as illustrated by the Poe Collection of Prooflike Coins. I'd love to see your Prooflike Barbers, if you have any, and any comments on mine are welcome!

 

Sweet coins Jason. I know you search hard for quality PL coins and this group is very nice. From the pics my favorite is the 1897 Dime.

 

As to the 1898 half, I think the slight weakness in strike of the central area of the Laurel Wreath/hair line and the reverse shield elements stopped your coin from MS65. JMHO

 

Carl

 

[coinman_23885]

As to the 1898 half, I think the slight weakness in strike of the central area of the Laurel Wreath/hair line and the reverse shield elements stopped your coin from MS65. JMHO

 

I have seen coins in full gem holders with comparable strike. The photo makes the piece look a bit washed out, and this is not to disparage the piece. I think it is nice and desirable, but I do think that is enough to keep it out of a MS65 holder.

[BKW]

Congrats on finishing your sub-set!!

 

I like PL coins myself and, while I'm not as ambitious as you, I try to have at least one PL coin for each denomination in my US type set. I have a PCGS Barber quarter which could be PL if in an NGC holder (it would at least Star in my opinion). I don't have a good pic of it though. I'll post the one I have later today.