Bonus Information The Barber Half Dollar and Barber Quarter share nearly identical obverse designs. The most reliable way to distinguish one from the other is by examining the “W” in the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. On the Barber Half Dollar, the “W” consistently displays two serifs: one serif extends from the left leg over the middle hump, the right leg carries its own separate serif. On the Barber Quarter, the serif structure changed during the series. Originally, the quarter’s “W” had three serifs: one over the left leg, a separate serif over the middle hump, and a third over the right leg. Beginning in 1900, the middle‑hump serif was removed. From 1900 through the end of the series, the quarter’s “W” shows no serif at all over the middle hump, leaving only the leg serifs.
