An 1894-S Barber dime -- one of the rarest coins in U.S. numismatics -- sold for $1,250,500 at an auction that ended on Tuesday.
The coin’s “S” marking on the reverse of the coin indicates that it was produced at the U.S. Mint’s San Francisco facility. Twenty-four dimes were minted on the West Coast in June 1894 and only nine have been accounted for, according to Stack’s and Bowers Galleries, which conducted the sale.
The company’s founder, Q. David Bowers, bought the coin as a 19-year-old in 1957 for $4,750, KNTV reported. The ensuing publicity helped launch Bowers’ career in rare coins.
According to the book, “100 Greatest U.S. Coins” by Jeff Garrett, the 1894-S dime ranked sixth among the nation’s rarest coins.
The coin is commonly referred to as a Barber dime as a tribute to Charles Barber, the chief engraver of the U.S. Mint who designed the coin.
With its darkened silver surface and coppery-gold hues, the more than 130-year-old dime may not look especially remarkable at first glance.https://t.co/PeXOBhl24J
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) September 3, 2026
According to KNTV, the dime was produced during an economic downturn after the Panic of 1893, when demand for newly minted currency had declined sharply.
The auction listing noted that the dime was in the same rarified company as other iconic U.S. coins. That begins with the 1804 silver dollar, called the “King of American Coins”; the 1913 Liberty head nickel, of which only five are known to exist; the 1933 Saint-Gaudens gold double eagle ($20); the 1849 pattern Liberty double eagle, housed at the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution; and the MCMVII (1907) ultra high relief Saint-Gaudens double eagle.
“The 1894-S dime is clearly in very select company at the apex of U.S. numismatics,” the auction listing stated.
After buying the Barber dime, Bowers sold it for $6,000, KNTV reported.
Before this year’s sale, only five 1894-S dimes had appeared in an auction since 2005. Those coins sold for between $1.3 million and $2.16 million, according to the television station.
The coin owned by young Bowers had not come to auction in 36 years, when it sold for $93,500, KNTV reported. Three years earlier, it sold for $77,000, according to the television station.
According to the U.S. Mint, there were only three facilities minting coins. The Philadelphia mint was the main station, and coins did not bear a mint mark. Coins minted in New Orleans bore an “O” mark. San Francisco was the other mint. A facility in Carson City ceased operations after 1893 (mint mark “CC”), while the Denver mint did not produce coins with a “D” mint mark until 1906.
© 2026 Cox Media Group
