A Silver Coin Mystery

There was a time when currency was a point of pride for a nation. These days we tend to spend (or save) our money and not give much thought to its appearance.

When the United States was younger and the world was a different place, a well-designed silver coin meant a great deal. Towards the end of the 19th century there was a clamor against the Seated Liberty dime. The public thought that this silver coin and others simply were not worthy of such a great country.

There was a certain prestige to a well-designed silver coin and there was a certain prestige to being a coin designer. So much so, that the chief designer of the U.S. Mint, a man named Charles Barber, was rumored to have said that there really was not anyone else who was capable and qualified to help him in his duties.

One of his silver coin designs still bears his name: the Barber dime. Ego aside, history does give Barber high marks in some aspects: he was well aware of the mechanics of making coins. Barber designed coins that could be produced quickly and efficiently.

One series of Barber dimes has a very interesting history. The 1894-S dime is a very rare silver coin because no one can account for where they all went. Allegedly 14 of these silver coins were made, and we only know where ten of them are.

There are many rumors, stories and urban legends about these mysterious silver coins. One is that a man of prominence gave his daughter three Barber dimes, telling her to keep the silver coins until she was his age. This forward-thinking father told his daughter that she could wait to sell silver that long, she would get a good deal of money for silver. Well, kids will be kids. As the story goes, the little girl stopped for a dish of ice cream, thus spending one of the precious silver coins that she was supposed to be holding onto. But she was not totally reckless--she minded her father enough to keep the other two silver coins. As instructed, she did wait to sell these silver coins many years later.

Do you have silver that you have held onto? Now is a good time to sell silver.