Barber Half Dollar Good Condition 1911

The Barber Half Dollar was a part of an entire coinage series, including the dime and quarter as well. The Barber design was named after the US Mint's Chief Engraver, William Barber. The coins were in circulation from 1892-1916, but the half dollar wasn't minted the last couple of years before the series ended. The Seated Liberty design had run its course and the Mint's Director, Edward Leech, wanted to officially change the design. Holding a competition, Leech wanted to encourage participation by giving the winner a cash prize. All of the local artists invited declined and Leech resorted to his mint for direction. William Barber was ultimately assigned the task to create a new design for the US currency, that would replace the Seated Liberty. The new design was received with mixed emotions and would be replaced in 1916. The 1911 Barber Half Dollar carries no mint-mark, since it was minted at the first mint, and is in good condition, exhibiting severe wear on both sides of the coin and will be securely packaged in a coin sleeve.

Being the first mint to be established in the US, the Philadelphia Mint didn't mark its coins with a mint-mark. 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. The Philadelphia Mint also participated in the Barber Half Dollar series, producing large amounts almost every year.

• Denomination: N/A
• Year: 1911
• Diameter: N/A
• Mint Mark: N/A
• Thickness: N/A
• Grade: N/A