1900-S Barber Half Dollar. MS-65 (PCGS). CAC. Smooth and frosty surfaces are dusted with delicate, iridescent toning of pinkish-apricot and pale silver-lilac. The strike is virtually full and far superior to that seen in many mintmarked early Barber half dollars. The 1900-S is the last of three consecutive San Francisco Mint issues of this type that the United States government sent overseas for use in the Philippine Islands after the Spanish-American War. It is the most obtainable of the so-called "Philippine hoard dates" in EF and AU grades, per David Lawrence (1991), although the author also states that this issue is, "Very underrated in MS as of this writing." Writing in his 2019 <em>Guide Book of Barber Silver Coins</em>, Q. David Bowers shines the spotlight on the rarity of this issue in the finest Uncirculated grades:<p><em>"By all logic this high-mintage issue should be readily available in gem Mint State. The opposite is true, as interest in mintmarked half dollars was minimal at the time. It is not known how many collectors ordered coins directly from the branch mints at the turn of the century, but I would estimate that for the half dollar denomination there were fewer than 10.The Louis E. Eliasberg Collection sales of Barber dimes (1996), quarters (1997), and half dollars (1997) offered coins bought directly from the mints by John M. Clapp."</em><p>While its earliest provenance is unrecorded, this Gem 1900-S clearly benefited from superior preservation from the time of striking. Now ranking among the finest certified for this conditionally challenging issue, this is a special Barber half dollar offering that is sure to appeal to astute bidders. From our sale of the Larry H. Miller Collection, December 2020 Auction, lot 1395.
