Why Is The 1901 0 Quarter Scace

the 1901 0 barbara quarter is hard to find in any grade above g-4. with a mintage of 1,612,000 this coin should be easy to find in all grades. when comparing the 1901 o against the 1896 o and the 1905 0 the disparity is even worse in pricing. in each grade from g4 through vf-20 the 1901 o cost more than the 1896 0and 1905 o. of the three coins the 1901 o has the highest mintage.

i have talked to many dealers in florida asking why toe 1901 o barbara quarter is so hard to find. I was given the following reasons:

barbara quarters were not collected when issued.
they were used in every day change to the point that they became only good for silver value
barbara quarters do not have a large following.
most barbara quarters are worn out--grade ag-3 and g-4

all of the above reasons make sence but with 1,612,00 made it is hard to belie most have been melted.

does any one have a real good sound reason why the 1901 o barbara quarter is difficult to find in grades above vg-8 ?