US Coins

Barber quarter sold for $5,875 'nearly perfect for [its] grade'

A 1901-S Barber quarter dollar graded PCGS Good 4 with a green CAC sticker sold for $5,875 at auction last year. The price is right in between what a typical Good coin and a Very Good example would sell for.

Images courtesy of Heritage Auctions

The following post is pulled from Coin World editor Steve Roach’s Market Analysis column in the Oct. 20 issue.

The 1901-S Barber quarter dollar has a reputation as the rarest regular issue 20th century coin, with a low mintage of 72,664 pieces. Most examples today are in low grades and the issue enjoyed heavy circulation. While collectors benefit from having a wide-range of well-circulated examples to select from, with many in grades of Fair and About Good, the coins often have impairments such as cleaning or damage. Mid-range coins in grades around Fine are scarce. 

Here is one of three that represent the different price and quality levels within the Good 4 grade:

The coin: 1901-S Barber quarter, Good 4, CAC

The price: $5,875

The story: There are examples that are OK for the grade, and then there is the occasional example that is nearly perfect for the grade. This 1901-S Barber quarter dollar is about as good as it gets, for a Good 4 coin. It offers very pleasing surfaces with color described as “dove-gray and steel blue” and virtually full rims on the reverse.  

Graded Good 4 by Professional Coin Grading Service with a green Certified Acceptance Corp. sticker indicating quality within the grade, it brought a strong $5,875 at an April 23, 2013, Heritage auction. That price is substantially more than the $4,000 that a solid Good 4 example might bring, but less than the $8,000 that a Very Good 8 example may realize at auction. 

Read the rest of Steve Roach's Oct. 20 Market Analysis:

Selling price of worn-rimmed 1901-S Barber quarter doubles from 2001 to 2014

Cleaning of 1901-S Barber quarter graded Good 4 likely dropped coin's selling price $1,000 to $1,500

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