The early years (1892-95) of Barber dimes are characterized by several much better dates along with the very common 1892. The \u2018middle dates\u2019 cover a period from 1896 or so to around 1906.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are no widely accepted, precise definitions of early dates, middle dates, and late dates in the realm of Barber dimes. These terms, I hope, make Barber dimes more understandable as these terms relate to different periods in U.S. history. Mintages and collecting activities were affected by historical factors. Also, quite a few \u2018late dates,\u2019 after 1905, are covered in my introductory article on building a set of Barber dimes (1892-1916) in MS-64 to -66 grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Middle dates include a few semi-keys, several much \u2018better dates,\u2019 a quantity of somewhat \u2018better dates,\u2019 and a small number of common dates. The semi-keys should and will be discussed separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is really important for many interested and budget-minded collectors to learn about MS-64 to MS-66 grade Barber dimes and \u2018get a feel\u2019 for the series before spending relatively large sums on the semi-keys. Some of the \u2018better middle dates\u2019 are covered here with the idea of providing guidance to collectors who are considering or have already started a set of Barber dimes \u2018by date\u2019 (and mint location) in MS-64 to -66 grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.cacgrading.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Dime1904_nonHolder_SBG_obv-1024x1020.jpg\")
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nNew Issues, Collectors, and the Economy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nFortunately for collectors now, there were many people in the United States collecting coins from 1897 onward. The U.S. economy fared extremely well in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Moreover, the population of the United States increased from around 72 million in 1897 to more than 100 million in 1916. The number of coin collectors active during the early part of the twentieth century was very significant, including beginners who saved coins that were then new issues, or acquired coins directly from the mints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, throughout the history of coin collecting, beginners and low-budget experienced collectors have often focused on then current issues. Barber dimes from the 1897 to 1916 period survive in large quantities. MS-64 to MS-66 grade Barber dimes, however, are generally condition rarities. Perhaps these are much rarer than most collectors think of them as being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among collectors who plan on spending substantial sums on coins, most do not wish to start projects that are nearly impossible, nor do they like projects that are too easy. MS-64 to -66 grade Barber dimes are accessible yet difficult enough to collect such that there is considerable excitement involved in chasing \u2018better dates.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some \u2018better dates\u2019 stem from years in which declines in the U.S. economy led to fewer \u2018Mint State\u2019 coins than usual being saved. By 1897, U.S. GDP, the total product of goods and services, was finally above the U.S. GDP level reached in 1892, though average per person (\u2018per capita\u2019) GDP had not yet returned to the level reached in 1892. As GDP data must be converted into some kind of \u2018constant dollars\u2019 for comparison purposes, a common denominator, it would not make sense to list specific GDP figures here, as they would require a great deal of space-consuming explanations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to keep in mind that, during the early part of the twentieth century, mintages of coins and collector demand were sharply influenced by the growth of the economy as a whole, the restored financial health of the U.S. government, and the total money supply over time. Please refer to my articles on the history of Morgan<\/a> dollars for more information regarding the intertwinement between coinage and the financial status of the U.S. government during the late nineteenth century.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\nBarber Dimes of 1897<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nCertainly, the increase in GDP is relevant to an increased mintage of dimes in Philadelphia in 1897. There was an increase in the need for dimes to be used in commerce and people were more optimistic after the 1893 to 1895 financial crisis was resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Philadelphia Mint produced nearly eleven million dimes in 1897, more than five times the number minted in Philadelphia in 1896. Before 1897, the Philadelphia Mint had not produced more than three million dimes in any one year since a mintage of around 3.3 million in 1893!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.cacgrading.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Dime1897_64_PCGSholder_obv-783x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.cacgrading.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Dime1897_64_PCGSholder_rev-779x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAll grades considered, Philadelphia Mint 1897 dimes are extremely common in the present, though it is not easy to find CAC approved 1897 dimes. The CAC pop of MS-64 grade 1897 dimes is or was twenty-four. The last two to be publicly sold were in GreatCollections auctions during the winter of 2022. On Jan. 2, 2022, a CAC approved MS-64 grade 1897 realized $344.30, and another realized $333.30 on Feb. 20, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On July 4, 2025, the CAC pop of MS-65 1897 dimes was eleven, and the pop of MS-66 grade 1897 dimes was eleven as well. The CPG-CAC medium retail estimate of $490 in MS-65 is likely to be low. If a dealer had one to sell in the middle of 2025, there is a fair chance that he would ask for a price in the range of $500 to $600, with the idea of drawing a buyer who is assembling a set \u2018by date\u2019 rather than a buyer who is seeking just one Barber dime for a type set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 1897-O is a semi-key and will be discussed along with the other semi-keys. Although the 1897-S is not a rare coin and is surprisingly available for a San Francisco Mint Barber dime from the 1890s, the 1897-S is a condition rarity in MS-64 to MS-66 grades. It is true that the PCGS population of MS-64 grade 1897-S dimes is above forty. It is likely, though, that a substantial number of these are repeat submissions of some of the same coins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to not take PCGS and NGC population reports too literally. Over the years, I have met many of the people who did or still do resubmit some of the same coins over and over again. Furthermore, some repeat-submitters do not always, if ever, return the printed labels, also called \u2018tags\u2019 or \u2018inserts,\u2019 pertaining to coins that they removed from PCGS or NGC holders. Unreturned printed labels have led to multiple counts of individual coins in PCGS and NGC population reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, I have some idea as to the coins that \u2018crackout artists\u2019 select for resubmissions and the coin dates that were targeted in this regard. There is no easy way to explain the \u2018crackout\u2019 phenomenon. The advent of CAC has substantially contributed to grading consistency \u2018in the marketplace,\u2019 though coin grading will never be perfectly consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An MS-65 grade 1897-S is worth at least $1000 more than an MS-64 grade 1897-S, and a grading fee is just a small fraction of $1000. It is not surprising to me that many PCGS graded MS-64 1897-S dimes were \u2018cracked out\u2019 of their holders and resubmitted to PCGS with the idea of receiving an MS-65 grade from PCGS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A substantial number of 1897-O dimes were \u2018cracked out\u2019 as well. The true physical populations of MS-64 to MS-66 grade 1897-O and 1897-S dimes are more of a mystery than the true populations for most other dates in the series of Barber dimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If one emerges soon, it may be difficult to interpret the market value of a CAC approved MS-64 to MS-66 grade 1897-S dime. It might be a good idea to consult a rare coin professional. A CAC approved MS-64 to MS-66 grade 1897-S dime has not appeared in a GreatCollections, Heritage or Stack\u2019s Bowers auction in more than four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On April 22, 2021, Heritage auctioned a CAC approved MS-65 grade 1897-S for $3120, not a strong price. That coin, though, was very apparently dipped-white. Many collectors of \u2018Mint State\u2019 (uncirculated) Barber dimes seek colorful coins. More so than with other series of U.S. silver coins dating from after the U.S. Civil War and before 1950, a substantial percentage of surviving MS-64 to MS-66 grade Barber dimes are naturally colorful. To a considerable extent, this is true of Barber half<\/a> dollars, too.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cacgrading.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/The-CAC-Registry-Banner-1-1024x177.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\nBarber Dimes of 1898<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe 1898 is a common date. On April 23, 2025, Stack\u2019s Bowers sold a CAC approved MS-64 grade 1898 for $312. On Oct. 27, 2024, GreatCollections sold a CAC approved MS-65 grade 1898 for $442.20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Great](\"https:\/\/www.cacgrading.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Dime1898MS65_GC_OR-1024x512.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe 1898-O is definitely a \u2018better date\u2019 that commands a substantial premium. I disagree, though, with the claim in the catalogue for a recent major auction that the 1898-O is scarcer than the 1897-O. Nevertheless, many collectors and dealers are unaware of its scarcity, as 1898-O dimes are not discussed very often. Stack\u2019s Bowers auctioned a CAC approved MS-65 1898-O for $2,880 on Aug. 15, 2024 and a CACG graded MS-66 1898-O for $5,280 on April 1, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately for collectors now, there were many people in the United States collecting coins from 1897 onward. The U.S. economy fared extremely well in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Moreover, the population of the United States increased from around 72 million in 1897 to more than 100 million in 1916. The number of coin collectors active during the early part of the twentieth century was very significant, including beginners who saved coins that were then new issues, or acquired coins directly from the mints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, throughout the history of coin collecting, beginners and low-budget experienced collectors have often focused on then current issues. Barber dimes from the 1897 to 1916 period survive in large quantities. MS-64 to MS-66 grade Barber dimes, however, are generally condition rarities. Perhaps these are much rarer than most collectors think of them as being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among collectors who plan on spending substantial sums on coins, most do not wish to start projects that are nearly impossible, nor do they like projects that are too easy. MS-64 to -66 grade Barber dimes are accessible yet difficult enough to collect such that there is considerable excitement involved in chasing \u2018better dates.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some \u2018better dates\u2019 stem from years in which declines in the U.S. economy led to fewer \u2018Mint State\u2019 coins than usual being saved. By 1897, U.S. GDP, the total product of goods and services, was finally above the U.S. GDP level reached in 1892, though average per person (\u2018per capita\u2019) GDP had not yet returned to the level reached in 1892. As GDP data must be converted into some kind of \u2018constant dollars\u2019 for comparison purposes, a common denominator, it would not make sense to list specific GDP figures here, as they would require a great deal of space-consuming explanations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to keep in mind that, during the early part of the twentieth century, mintages of coins and collector demand were sharply influenced by the growth of the economy as a whole, the restored financial health of the U.S. government, and the total money supply over time. Please refer to my articles on the history of Morgan<\/a> dollars for more information regarding the intertwinement between coinage and the financial status of the U.S. government during the late nineteenth century.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Certainly, the increase in GDP is relevant to an increased mintage of dimes in Philadelphia in 1897. There was an increase in the need for dimes to be used in commerce and people were more optimistic after the 1893 to 1895 financial crisis was resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Philadelphia Mint produced nearly eleven million dimes in 1897, more than five times the number minted in Philadelphia in 1896. Before 1897, the Philadelphia Mint had not produced more than three million dimes in any one year since a mintage of around 3.3 million in 1893!<\/p>\n\n\n\n All grades considered, Philadelphia Mint 1897 dimes are extremely common in the present, though it is not easy to find CAC approved 1897 dimes. The CAC pop of MS-64 grade 1897 dimes is or was twenty-four. The last two to be publicly sold were in GreatCollections auctions during the winter of 2022. On Jan. 2, 2022, a CAC approved MS-64 grade 1897 realized $344.30, and another realized $333.30 on Feb. 20, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On July 4, 2025, the CAC pop of MS-65 1897 dimes was eleven, and the pop of MS-66 grade 1897 dimes was eleven as well. The CPG-CAC medium retail estimate of $490 in MS-65 is likely to be low. If a dealer had one to sell in the middle of 2025, there is a fair chance that he would ask for a price in the range of $500 to $600, with the idea of drawing a buyer who is assembling a set \u2018by date\u2019 rather than a buyer who is seeking just one Barber dime for a type set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 1897-O is a semi-key and will be discussed along with the other semi-keys. Although the 1897-S is not a rare coin and is surprisingly available for a San Francisco Mint Barber dime from the 1890s, the 1897-S is a condition rarity in MS-64 to MS-66 grades. It is true that the PCGS population of MS-64 grade 1897-S dimes is above forty. It is likely, though, that a substantial number of these are repeat submissions of some of the same coins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important to not take PCGS and NGC population reports too literally. Over the years, I have met many of the people who did or still do resubmit some of the same coins over and over again. Furthermore, some repeat-submitters do not always, if ever, return the printed labels, also called \u2018tags\u2019 or \u2018inserts,\u2019 pertaining to coins that they removed from PCGS or NGC holders. Unreturned printed labels have led to multiple counts of individual coins in PCGS and NGC population reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, I have some idea as to the coins that \u2018crackout artists\u2019 select for resubmissions and the coin dates that were targeted in this regard. There is no easy way to explain the \u2018crackout\u2019 phenomenon. The advent of CAC has substantially contributed to grading consistency \u2018in the marketplace,\u2019 though coin grading will never be perfectly consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An MS-65 grade 1897-S is worth at least $1000 more than an MS-64 grade 1897-S, and a grading fee is just a small fraction of $1000. It is not surprising to me that many PCGS graded MS-64 1897-S dimes were \u2018cracked out\u2019 of their holders and resubmitted to PCGS with the idea of receiving an MS-65 grade from PCGS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A substantial number of 1897-O dimes were \u2018cracked out\u2019 as well. The true physical populations of MS-64 to MS-66 grade 1897-O and 1897-S dimes are more of a mystery than the true populations for most other dates in the series of Barber dimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If one emerges soon, it may be difficult to interpret the market value of a CAC approved MS-64 to MS-66 grade 1897-S dime. It might be a good idea to consult a rare coin professional. A CAC approved MS-64 to MS-66 grade 1897-S dime has not appeared in a GreatCollections, Heritage or Stack\u2019s Bowers auction in more than four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On April 22, 2021, Heritage auctioned a CAC approved MS-65 grade 1897-S for $3120, not a strong price. That coin, though, was very apparently dipped-white. Many collectors of \u2018Mint State\u2019 (uncirculated) Barber dimes seek colorful coins. More so than with other series of U.S. silver coins dating from after the U.S. Civil War and before 1950, a substantial percentage of surviving MS-64 to MS-66 grade Barber dimes are naturally colorful. To a considerable extent, this is true of Barber half<\/a> dollars, too.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n The 1898 is a common date. On April 23, 2025, Stack\u2019s Bowers sold a CAC approved MS-64 grade 1898 for $312. On Oct. 27, 2024, GreatCollections sold a CAC approved MS-65 grade 1898 for $442.20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 1898-O is definitely a \u2018better date\u2019 that commands a substantial premium. I disagree, though, with the claim in the catalogue for a recent major auction that the 1898-O is scarcer than the 1897-O. Nevertheless, many collectors and dealers are unaware of its scarcity, as 1898-O dimes are not discussed very often. Stack\u2019s Bowers auctioned a CAC approved MS-65 1898-O for $2,880 on Aug. 15, 2024 and a CACG graded MS-66 1898-O for $5,280 on April 1, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBarber Dimes of 1897<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBarber Dimes of 1898<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.cacgrading.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/barber_dime_obverse-removebg-preview.png\")
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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Great](\"https:\/\/www.cacgrading.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Dime1899O_65_GC_OR-1024x512.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"Proof](\"https:\/\/www.cacgrading.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Copy-of-Coin-Featured-PNG-Template-768x432.png\")
<\/a><\/div>\n