1894 Barber Quarter

Though 1894 Barber quarters are not the most common of the 1890s dates in the series, they are among the most affordable across the board from that period. Less than 10 million were made across the three then-operating mint facilities, though they were minted in roughly similar numbers, and therefore all three business-strike issues from that time are rather equally priced in the grade of Good-4 and are populous enough to fulfill the needs of coin collectors.

Below is a breakdown of mintages and values for 1894 Barber quarters: 

• 1894 – 3,432,000; $13

• 1894-O – 2,852,000; $17

• 1894-S – 2,648,821; $17

• 1894 proof – 972; $850

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

When it comes to buying any 1894 Barber quarter, your best bet is to buy the best you can reasonably afford, and since that date is rather common, take the opportunity with the common dates to buy higher-end pieces if you desire. Of course, if you’re trying to assemble a complete date-and-mintmark run of all business-strike Barber quarters, you may want to buy pieces that are fairly similar in grade to your other coins, even the scarcer ones, for the sake of maintaining visual consistency within your coin collection.