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The 1899-O Barber Half Dollar is in good condition, consisting of extreme wear on both sides of the coin and main image details are greatly lacking. The Seated Liberty design was due for an update so the Mint Director decided to hold a friendly competition. Offering a cash prize for the winner, Leech reached out to local artists and wanted to hold a competition for the best design. When he received negative feedback, Leech went to the Chief Engraver, William Barber, and came out with an ideal design that President Benjamin Harrison approved of. On the obverse of Barber Half Dollars, Liberty is pictured and is wearing a Grecian leaf crown. The obverse also contains the coin's date of mintage. The reverse reveals a heraldic eagle, draped in a shield and is holding arrows and olive branches in its talons. This design has carried on through the years and is displayed on most of US currency.
Earning its nickname from being one of the oldest US structures, the Old Mint, served as a branch of the US Mint from 1838-1861, then again from 1879-1909; serving alongside three other mints in order to produce the Morgan silver dollar. Since the bulk of the New Orleans Mint's production was the Morgan silver dollar, they literally didn't make enough money to stay afloat after the Morgan ceased production. Since its minting days, the New Orleans Mint has been used as an assay office, a fallout shelter, and a storage facility for the US Coast Guard. The Old Mint also participated in other important coin series, such as the Barber coinage, wherein it is one of the only coin collections that has the same design on all denominations. The New Orleans Mint used the "O" mint-mark as an indicator on its coins, marking where the coin was minted.