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The 1915 Barber Half Dollar has the second lowest mintage in the series with only 138,000 minted! Considered to be about good condition, the 1915 Barber Half Dollar will have extreme wear on both sides of the coin and may even exhibit a whitish color. The history of the Philadelphia Mint is one that dates back to the beginning of this country. The US desperately needed an identity but also a means to international commerce so the Founding Fathers decided that a national mint was the answer. The Mint Act officially announced the opening of the Philadelphia Mint and also instituted guidelines for the newly minted currency. A dollar decimal system would be used to assign the currency with legal tender values. Also, an emblematic symbol of liberty must be included on US currency, hence why so many adaptations of Liberty have been used.
With their 90% silver content, investors also jump at the opportunity to own these older collections and also enjoy the history connected to such collections. The Barber series was designated to replace the Seated Liberty but finding a design was more difficult than imagined. The Mint Director Edward Leech, wanted to hold a competition for the next coinage design. Adding the appeal of a cash prize for the winner, the local turnout was a bit underwhelming. The artists that were invited to participate wanted a different prize, under different terms, and withdrew when their needs weren't met. Leech resorted to inside the mint, wherein he worked with the Chief Engraver at the time, to construct a new design. The Chief Engraver, William Barber, was approved by president, Benjamin Harrison, to move forward with the Barber coinage. The Barber collection is one of the only coin series to simultaneously have the same design on the half dollar, quarter, and dime.