1894-O Barber Dime CMQ MS 66

Description

A major barber coinage rarity!!! The early branch mint Barber dimes, quarters, and halves were not really saved at the time of issue. Collectors of that era didn’t collect by mint-mark. They just tried to find one of each date. And as the branch mints were usually rarer than the Philadelphia, the New Orleans and San Francisco issues were not put away. Also, remember, San Francisco and New Orleans were pretty wide open cities at the time. They may have been starting to play jazz in New Orleans, but they certainly weren’t saving coins for you and me. A few decades later when collecting Barber coins by date and mint-mark came into vogue, everyone soon realized that the branch mint issues were rare…some extremely rare, especially in Gem condition! The 1894-O barber dime is one of those rarities. And today, it is the second rarest Barber dime in mint state condition, and the rarest of all in MS65 or better condition. I remember in the 1970’s we used to call this issue the rarest of all Barber dimes in mint state. This is one of the finest 1894-O dimes we have ever seen. The surfaces are ultra clean and mark-free. The strike 100% full and amazing. There is white cartwheel luster underneath beautiful golden blue rainbow peripheral toning. The eye appeal is off-the-charts. An incredible specimen of this major Barber rarity!