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- Product ID: 20446
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By preference of the Mint Director, Edward Leech, the Barber Half Dollar replaced the Seated Liberty coinage in 1892. After a failed attempt to offer a friendly competition among local artists, Leech resorted to Chief Engraver, William Barber, to come up with the design. Barber's design extended to the dime, quarter, and half dollar; being one of the only coin designs to serve on all currency. Liberty is wearing a Grecian leaf cap, on the obverse, as the reverse features the nation's seal. The Barber Dime is the only Barber coin to not showcase the heraldic eagle, holding the shield, on its reverse. The dime and quarter feature just the coin's monetary denomination.
The 1904 Barber Half Dollar was minted at the very first mint in the US and is in very fine condition. Collectors expect very fine condition to contain a healthy amount of wear, with no remaining original luster, but specific details and date are still quite sharp. Although the 1904 Barber Half Dollar contains a hefty mintage, it is still difficult to locate in an ideal condition, such as very fine, extra fine, and almost uncirculated. The Philadelphia Mint was the first mint to be established in the US so it doesn'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 1904 Barber Half Dollar will be packaged in a coin flip for protection while in transit.