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Coin Collecting at the Safir House
Barber Half Dollars
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Sat Apr 20 08:27:20 2024
The Barber's where a family that served as cheif engravers for the US Mint for much of the middle 19th
century and worthy a substantial write up which is covered in the section of Barber Half Dollars. What I find nice about these coins, especially the quarter dollars, is that the
coins wear with use very nicely, perhaps nicer than any other design ever created worldwide. This was part of the
guiness of the Barbers. While it was complained that their designs were mundane, they had expert and asthetic focus
on the life cycle of coins in commerce. And their work shows their attention to this detail. Unlike nearly any other
artists who designed coins, they understood that coins circulate and the designs needed to continue to be attractive
and viewable as they moved through their life cycle. This caused a lot of head butting with later designs which
had significant problems with wear include many beloved designs which honestly didn't wear well, including the
Buffalo Nickel and Standing Liberty Quarter.
These are some nicely worn Barber Quarters, which have a lovely ghostly look and nice tone
This is the 1903 New Orlean's Barber Quarter
and the 1909 Barber D Quarter
The Safir Family Internet Coins Library: Foriegn Coins.
Several mints from around the world make exciting coin designs in circulating alloys, silver and gold. Among my favorites are the Perth Mint in Austrailia which produces a variety of coins for nations mostly through out the Pacific Rim. The Neatherlands has also produced some interesting designs, and several private US based mints have produced foreign currency on contract, include the Franklin Mint which has produced many Israeli Coins.
Our interest in foreign coins has been nominal but rapidly growing as it seems that US designs are so stuck in the mud. Also, foreign mints are creating bold new designs with color and bimetal designs that are both eye catching and fun.
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