The Barber Dime was born out of the competition between George T. Morgan, designer of the famous Morgan dollar and Charles E. Barber, chief engraver of the US Mint from 1880 to 1918. This competition in designing the most beautiful American coinage resulted in many patterns, including a wide array of 1877 half dollars, which created the famous Morgan dollar.
image from www.coinpage.com
Mint director James P. Kimball had recommended a change in the designs of the silver coins as early as 1887. In his annual report, he mentioned that the United States citizens generally did not consider the nations coinage to be “an expression of art of their time”. However, he did not immediately pursue to change the designs. First, he drafted a bill which would authorize to change the devices of circulating coinage at any time after a minimum period of 25 years. He did so due to a unclear line in the revised Mint statutes of 1873 and 1874, which said that, “…when new coins or devices are authorized...”, believing that Congress first had to authorize all changes in the devices of circulating coinage.
When the bill passed in late 1890, Charles Barber started working on designs during the next year. He had competition from Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who wanted the the new coin designs to be in high relief, which was difficult to make with the contemporary machinery. This competition continued until late October, when Charles Barber submitted his design that would be featured on the dimes for the first time the next year.
This design, with some slight alterations became the one that was minted for the first time during the first week of January 1892. The obverse of the Barber Dime features a bust of Liberty, facing right. She is wearing a Phrygian cap, with the word LIBERTY on her hair band. An olive branch with 13 leaves, representing the original states is attached to the cap. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is in a circle around the edge, with the date under the truncation of the neck. The reverse of the Barber Dime, as had the previous dimes, featured an agricultural wreath. This was modernized from the design used on the Liberty Seated dimes. Corn, wheat and oak leaves compromise the wreath. The denomination, spelled as ONE DIME, is inside the wreath.
