United States: 1892 silver Barber half dollar PCGS MS63. Cert. #34678979. Numista-10085. Krause-Mishler-116. Mintage: 934,000. Ex-Michael Swoveland, dab WNC Coins, LLC, Asheville, NC, 10 May 2026. This is a coin from the first year of issue for the Barber half dollar (1892-1915). The Barber series of coins, named for their designer, Chief Mint Engraver Charles E. Barber, included an identical Liberty portrait on the dime, quarter, and half dollar. The neoclassical Liberty Head on these coins was a bit of a departure from the earlier Seated Liberty denominations. Their popularity was- and remains- mixed. Some think the portrait is a bit masculine. I don't disagree with that, but I do find the design handsome enough. This example has attractive cartwheel luster and subtle peripheral toning. I had some difficulty capturing the luster in photographs. These images are my own cellphone shots, not professional photographs. They do not do the coin justice at all, and perhaps I’ll have it professionally reimaged later. I have added an admittedly low quality animated GIF to show the luster somewhat. 070000
This coin was the subject of a GTG (“guess the grade”) thread. The majority guessed MS64, despite the challenges presented by my substandard photography.
The gif really does show the luster better - especially around the dark toning in the pictures- which is what I like to see. It really does remind me of one of my new coins - in hand the toning is dark around the edge - but twirl it and the luster shows thru the dark toning. Here it is:
Very nice. I need a nice SLQ for my type set- and I like the Type 1 coins. I’ve had ‘em in the past, of course, but find myself without either T.1 or T.2 SLQ at the moment. It is a deficiency I shall have to rectify soon. The Flying Eagle is another type I’ve had several of in the past, but lack at the present time.
