1916 10C Barber Silver Dime NGC MS65

Ron Guth writes, “the 1916 Barber Dime is a … an excellent value for the collector of type coins.”

Here is an attractive, well-struck and lustrous example of the last year of the Barber dime series. NGC has graded 133 as MS65 with 44 finer. Collector’s Universe prices this issue at $500.00 in MS65.

There was some hoarding of the last issue of the Barber type. Therefore, the 1916-P Barber dime is quite common across all grades up to MS65. The majority of this final issue of the Barber dime was struck in the later half of the year, for the Mint had delayed its production in the hope that the new dime designed by Adolph Weinman (the Mercury dime) would be ready for mass production much sooner than it was.

Writes NGC Coin Explorer, “While work with the new type dragged on, the demand for additional dimes was too great to wait any longer, and many millions were struck of this old design.”

Ron Guth writes in PCGS Coinfacts, “1916 was the last year of the Barber Dime design. The mintage of 18,400,000 coins was large even by Barber Dime standards, but the Mint went on to produce more than 22 million examples of the new "Mercury" design -- later in the same year. Not surprisingly, the 1916 Barber Dime is a very common coin and it is an excellent value for the collector of type coins.”

The Third Philadelphia Mint, where this lustrous piece was struck in 1916. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.