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1896-S Barber quarter value guide -- a genuine key date worth hundreds even well-worn.
Condition drives the price — full breakdown below.
188,039 struck — against the other key dates in the Barber Quarter series.
Bars are scaled to keep the smallest mintages visible; the exact figure is printed on every row. Mintage is coins struck, not coins surviving — melting and circulation wear thin those numbers further.
At under 190,000 struck, one of the scarcest San Francisco Barber Quarters -- worth hundreds of dollars even in heavily worn Good-4 condition, well above typical melt-adjacent common dates.
A well-known key date among Barber Quarter collectors, second only to the 1901-S below in overall difficulty.
Other dates and varieties in this series
What to check before you pay, specific to this date and its 188,039-coin mintage.
The same date runs from about $835 worn to $26,310 at the top of the scale — a 32× spread. Nearly all of that gap is condition, not the date on the coin, so work out where an example sits on the table above before deciding whether its asking price is fair.
Every figure on this page depends on that S. The same year from another mint is a far more common coin, which is exactly why added and altered mint marks are the usual way this date gets faked. Ask for a close-up of the mark itself — a listing title claiming it is not evidence.
A PCGS or NGC holder settles authenticity and grade in one go, which is most of what you're actually paying for at this level. The premium it adds is small next to the cost of being wrong about either.
Every Barber Quarter listed here is priced by an individual seller, so the same coin in the same grade can differ by a wide margin on any given day. Sort by price, check Metal Points and order history for a sense of the seller's record, and message them if the photos don't show enough to grade confidently.
About the 1896-S Barber Quarter
Value depends heavily on condition. A well-worn example brings closer to $835, while an uncirculated one can reach $26,310 or more.
At under 190,000 struck, one of the scarcest San Francisco Barber Quarters -- worth hundreds of dollars even in heavily worn Good-4 condition, well above typical melt-adjacent common dates.
For anything you believe is a key date or an error, professional grading protects both buyer and seller by settling condition and authenticity before money changes hands.
The rest of the series, with what each is worth at the top of the grade scale.
List it free on PeerMetals — flat 2.75% seller fee, zero listing fees, 1–3 day payouts.
