At our Barber site, each of the four series are listed. A short description follows, with a list of difficult to find examples.
http://barbercoins.org/BarberQuarters.html From this link:
"Although the "Big 3" get most of the attention, many of the other dates in the
Barber quarter series are extremely difficult to find in higher circulated grades, including 1896-O, 1897-O, 1897-S, 1901-O, 1905-O, 1909-O, and 1914-S. As a result, putting together a complete set of
Barber quarters in higher grades is not only expensive, but takes a lot of serious searching and a great deal of luck. Perhaps only 12 to 15 original AU 1909-O quarters exist, making it quite possibly the 2nd or 3rd most difficult coin to obtain in that grade. That's rare."
OK. Quarter collectors already know about these dates. To find any of them requires patience, luck and a fat wallet.
It is among other dates that we find the sleepers.
Using the rarity and availability data, gathered from among the members of the BCCS, and the information available at:
http://blog.davidlawrence.com/index...er-quarters/you will be able to spot the "sleepers" yourselves.
I cannot continue speaking about the quarters without making reference to the dimes which are my specialty. And assuming that unholyroller has no objections I shall do so.
David Lawrence commented that the 1900-O dime is:
"The most underrated coin in the set. In circulated grades
above VG its scarcity rivals the 1895-O ......
Poorly struck with lackluster surfaces."
So I wondered, "What about the 1900-O quarter?"
Well, with a mintage of 3,416,000 you might think that this is a common date and widely available.
NOT TRUE!
David Lawrence wrote:
"Scarcity: Very scarce in mid grades because of the poor strike. Scarce in mint state because of poor survivorship.
Rarity Ratings: G/VG R2; F/VF R4; EF/AU R4; MS R4.
Ranking: 44th in mintage ...
Comments: Comes poorly struck on the central reverse as a rule, with weakness in the eagle's right ...
Buy all the nicely struck specimens you can find."
A "sleeper?"
If the dimes from San Francisco dated 1898, 1899 and 1900 went to the Philippines, what about the quarters?
Same thing. Decent mintages but downright difficult to find high grade examples that have not been cleaned.
Folks, all of my conclusions have been drawn from years
of experience and the availability of the resources of the BCCS. I refer to these resources constantly. They are freely available to all.
In the spirit of:
"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day ...
Teach a man how to fish and he eats for a lifetime."
I have shown you the resources from which to learn.
Good Hunting!
Matthew
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Posted 04/16/2012 4:21 pm
