1914 Barber Half Dollar

It’s award time. The trophy for lowest-mintage business-strike Barber half dollars goes to the 1914 Barber half dollar from Philadelphia. With only 124,230 pieces originally struck, and far fewer pieces existing today, the 1914 is a scarce coin that keeps collectors on their toes. For one, the 1914 is not a particularly easy coin to find, as so few were made in the first place. What’s more, very few were actually saved, and most circulated for decades after they were originally issued. The result is that there aren’t many that remain in a condition that most numismatists would find acceptable.

Below are mintages and values for all three Barber half dollar issues of 1914:

• 1914 – 124,230; $160

• 1914-S – 992,000; $23

• 1914 proof – 380; $1,100

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

To illustrate just how much pressure is on the 1914, consider that the price for a specimen in Good rises above the $150 mark. And this is for a coin that belongs to a series that sees relatively little foot traffic. If there ever were a surge of new Barber half dollar collectors, prices would surely rise in grand fashion. Type collectors, on the other hand, usually opt for the more affordable 1914-S Barber half dollar, if they are to choose for their collections any half dollar at all from 1914.