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- Product ID: 20425
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Every Mint Director has experience a lull in production, wherein the design for a coin becomes tiresome. When the Seated Liberty Half Dollar had been issued for awhile, 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.
With a mintage on the lower end of the scale, the 1897 Barber Half Dollar is usually pretty accessible to ambitious collectors at a higher premium. In very fine condition, this half dollar will have some wear but all of the writing and images are still clearly visible. The Philadelphia Mint was the first mint to produce coins in the US and doesn't include mint-marks on their products. The 1897 Barber Half Dollar was minted by the Philadelphia Mint and will come packaged in a coin flip. Liberty is pictured on the obverse, of the Barber Half Dollar, adorned in an Acanthus leaf cap. Liberty began as a Grecian Goddess and has been adapted on US currency through the years. She is accompanied by the coin's date of mintage, which is inscribed below her portrait. The reverse showcases the nation's official seal, of an eagle holding a shield and is surrounded by 13 stars honoring the original 13 colonies.