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- Product ID: 18469
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William Barber served as the Chief Engraver, to the US Mint, from 1869-1879, before passing the torch to his son, Charles Barber. In just the short ten years as Chief Engraver, Barber was responsible for a history-breaking coin design. Being one of the only designs to grace all current denominations, the Barber design was inspired by the Grecian goddess, Liberty, who has been admired and loved by warriors since the beginning of time. Liberty wears an Acanthus leaf cap as a crown, which was very common in ancient Greece, and the "United States of America," and the coin's mint date are also simply stamped on the obverse. The reverse contains the nation's official seal, which is of a heraldic eagle holding a shield. Each of the eagle's talons are grasping a symbolic gesture: olive branches and arrows.
The 1909 Barber Quarter contains one of the higher mintages of the series, with a hefty 9 million minted. Since the Barber Quarter series contains averagely low mintages across the board, the 1909 Barber is constantly being looked for by collectors. Considered to be in fine condition, the 1909 carries wear on both sides of the coin, with lack of detail on the main images. The Philadelphia Mint is the oldest mint in the US, being established in 1792. After the ratification of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers needed to establish a national identity and a means of commerce. At the time, Philadelphia was the capital of the US so it only made sense for the first mint to be built there. The Mint Act mandated that an emblematic symbol of liberty should be depicted on all US currency, lending to the Lady Liberty craze over the years.