1898 Barber Half Dollar

1898 Barber half dollars are relatively common, especially when compared to some of the issues from the mid 1890s, which are not only difficult to find but also quite costly. Barber half dollars are very popular coins among collectors of 19th- and 20th-century coinage, silver coins, and type coins, and many in the grades of Poor, Fair, and About Good wind up in the portfolios of bullion investors.

The Barber half dollar was designed by Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber in 1891, and was released the following year after the Seated Liberty design had been retired; that motif had been on the half dollar since 1839, and many among the public were calling for the replacement of the design, which had grown old.

The United States Mint kept up with the demand for the Barber half dollar well in 1898. Below is a breakdown of the mintage figures for that year:

• 1898 – 2,956,000; $22

• 1898-O – 874,000; $38

• 1898-S – 2,358,550; $33

• 1898 proof – 735; $900 

*Values are for coins in a grade of Good-4, unless otherwise noted.

While Barber halves seem to be getting increasingly difficult to find problem free in a grade of full Good, your chances of finding a coin that meets that very description is quite healthy with the 1898 Barber half dollars. 1898 Barber halves are fairly easy to find in higher grades, too, and make it the perfect issue for type collectors who want a decent representative of the coin otherwise known as the Liberty Head half dollar.