1895 Barber Dime. MS-67+ (PCGS). CAC.Fully struck with strong luster, the surfaces are as nice as would be expected at the premium Superb Gem grade level. The gentle soft silvery gray at central obverse is framed by vivid splashes of peripheral blue that finds greatest expression among the lettering. For the reverse we note even, more reserved, yet equally appealing toning in blended steel-gray and pale pink. Both sides approach perfection in an example of this key date issue.<p>With a mintage of a mere 690,000 pieces, the 1895 Barber dime is the only issue produced at the Philadelphia Mint with a production figure below 1 million coins, making it one of the most desirable issues of the entire series. Coming on the heels of a major economic panic just two years prior, the 1895 issue slipped quietly into circulation with little fanfare. The numismatists of the era were content to order a Proof example of the date and largely ignored the coins that did enter circulation. By the time interest in the Barber series began to pick up, by far the vast majority of examples that remained had seen extensive use in trade, so much so that even coins at the very lowest levels of preservation can prove challenging to locate, a situation no doubt exacerbated by the mass silver meltings in the early 1980s. Fortunately, a small number of Uncirculated examples have managed to escape the rigors of commercial use, but even there primarily at the lower to middle Mint State levels. While perhaps a couple hundred Uncirculated examples may survive, PCGS suggests that only 60 or so coins may still exist at or above the Gem level, with the lions share clustered around MS-65. The original toning combined with the exceptional strike serves to identify this PCGS/CAC MS-67+ as a significant find for the Barber specialist seeking the very pinnacle of perfection.PCGS# 4806. NGC ID: 23DV.PCGS Population: 6; 0 finer.<p>CAC Stickered Population: 4; 0. The former total includes coins certified both MS-67 and MS-67+.
