Insights
Barber quarter sold for $5,875 'nearly perfect for [its] grade'
- Published: Oct 7, 2014, 6 AM
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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