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Item Specifics
- Coin: Barber
- Year: 1913
- Mint Location: San Francisco
- Denomination: 50C
- Circulated/Uncirculated: Circulated
- Grade: Ungraded
- Certification: Uncertified
- Strike Type: Business
- Composition: Silver
- Fineness: 0.9
- Precious Metal Content per Unit: 0.3617 oz
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Description
This is a 1913-S Barber half dollar struck at the San Francisco Mint in 90% silver. The date had a mintage of just 604,000, and this example is a choice Very Fine with a full LIBERTY and a strong, detailed reverse.
- Date: 1913-S, San Francisco (S mintmark below eagle\'s tail)
- Mintage: 604,000
- 90% silver, 12.5 grams, 0.3617 troy oz actual silver weight
- Raw coin, not certified
Grade (our in-house estimate, not certified): Very Fine+. All seven letters of LIBERTY are complete, the laurel leaves keep their interior veins, and the ribbon and hair curls are well defined. The reverse is a standout, with sharp shield lines, a bold motto, and good feather detail through the wings and tail. For full disclosure, there are hairline scratches on the cheek and neck and a curved scratch in the right obverse field near the lower stars. There is also a small mark between GOD and WE, a small pale green fleck at the lower right star, and a few dark specks on the reverse ribbon. The surfaces are medium gray, darker in the fields. Please view all photos carefully, since they are part of the description.
Historical context: 1913 reshaped American finance. The 16th Amendment was ratified in February, which gave Congress the power to levy a federal income tax, and in December President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act. That same year, Grand Central Terminal opened in New York and Henry Ford started his first moving assembly line.
Series info: Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber designed the dime, quarter, and half dollar that were struck from 1892 to 1915. The obverse shows Liberty in a laurel wreath and Phrygian cap, and the reverse carries a heraldic eagle. Barber halves circulated heavily for decades, so most survivors are worn to Good or VG. The late-series 1913 to 1915 dates were struck in small numbers, which makes a choice VF like this one a real prize for Barber collectors.
Silver value: Each Barber half contains 0.3617 troy ounces of pure silver, which gives this coin a solid bullion floor beneath its collector value.
Curiosity Coins — Medway, Massachusetts | Est. 1999 | ANA • PCGS • NGC • Heritage sales Member / Buying & selling US and world coins, silver, gold, currency, and collectibles since 1999. Many sales start at $5 — combined shipping always available. Questions welcome.
