1893-S Barber Quarter. MS-67 (NGC). OH. Here is an incredible example that ranks among the finest certified survivors of this scarce and challenging Barber quarter issue. In fact, only three 1893-S quarters have been certified finer than MS-66+ at PCGS and NGC combined: PCGS MS-67, NGC MS-67, and PCGS MS-67+. The NGC-certified Superb Gem offered here is toned with iridescent undertones of pale gold, powder blue, salmon pink and reddish-apricot and warmer toning in steel-blue and sandy-gray. Fully struck, even over the eagles left talon and the arrows on the reverse. Both sides are smooth and softly frosted.<p>The 1893-S tells a familiar story for a mintmarked Barber quarter from the 1890s. A smaller mintage (in this case 1,454,535 coins) combined with heavy attrition through circulation means that survivors are scarce to rare in all grades. Most are heavily worn in grades such as Good and Very Good, indicative of the fact that when these coins entered commercial channels, they tended to stay there until worn out or lost. This was particularly true since collecting United States coinage by mintmark was in its infancy in 1893, that being the year in which Augustus G. Heatons now famous monograph <em>A Treatise on the Coinage of United States Branch Mints</em> first appeared. By the time most numismatists embraced mintmark collecting, most 1893-S quarters had already been subjected to years of commercial use. Similarly, (very) few collectors would have been interested in obtaining an 1893-S quarter directly from the San Francisco Mint in 1893, further diminishing the likelihood that truly exceptional examples would have survived.<p>Yet even so, and as a quick glance at the PCGS and NGC population report will show, a small number of Uncirculated 1893-S quarters did manage to survive. Interestingly, this issue is more readily obtainable in the MS-60 to MS-64 grade range than it is in Extremely Fine and About Uncirculated, again typical for a mintmarked quarter from the 1890s. Apparently small quantities of Mint State 1893-S quarters were set aside at or near the time of distribution, probably by contemporary dealers, and perhaps to the tune of a few rolls. An outstanding Superb Gem as offered here, however, has the quality and appearance of a coin that was specially selected by a contemporary collector and preserved with similar care by subsequent generations of numismatists. Perhaps it was acquired by one of the earliest adherents to collecting United States coinage by mintmark. We may never know, but what is obvious is that this is one of the finest 1893-S quarters obtainable today and it will serve as a highlight in any collection of Barber coinage.
