1905 Barber Half Dollar

1905 Barber half dollars are widely considered as common coins by numismatists, which is good in that there are plenty to go around. That, however, doesn’t mean they are all in great shape. A look at the available selection of Barber halves will quickly reveal two things – most are pretty well worn, and many are damaged in some way, shape, or form. Cleaned, holed, and sub-Good pieces dominate the supply of available Barber halves, which means finding even an original Good Barber half dollar can take some due diligence.

Below are mintage numbers for the 1905 Barber half dollar:

• 1905 – 662,000; $28

• 1905-O – 505,000; $33

• 1905-S – 2,494,000; $23

• 1905 proof – 727; $900

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

The Barber half dollar, designed in 1891 by namesake chief engraver Charles E. Barber and released one year later, saw extremely heavy use during their heyday. What’s more, collecting Barber halves wasn’t necessarily en vogue at the time, during which most numismatists were fixated on early U.S. type coins and Colonial coins.

Whether you seek Good or Very Good 1905 Barber half dollars or you want to land an MS-63 specimen in sonically sealed plastic from a third-party coin grader, search high and low for the pieces you want. Nice-looking Barber half dollars reward patience.