The 1894-S Barber Dime: A Tiny Coin Worth Millions

A coin worth just ten cents might seem insignificant today but for collectors, the 1894-S Barber Dime is a treasure worth millions.

A coin worth just ten cents might seem insignificant today but for collectors, the 1894-S Barber Dime is a treasure worth millions.

With only 24 coins ever minted and just nine known to still exist, this tiny piece of American history has fetched over $2 million at auction, earning its place as one of the rarest and most valuable U.S. coins.

The 1894-S Barber Dime was produced at the San Francisco Mint during the final year of Grover Cleveland’s presidency.

According to historical records, only 24 of these dimes were struck, though the reason remains unclear. Some experts believe they were minted as special gifts for bankers or government officials, while others suggest they were produced to balance a bookkeeping discrepancy.

Today, fewer than ten are known to survive, making this coin a “holy grail” among collectors.

Despite its massive worth today, the 1894-S Barber Dime looks rather ordinary. The coin features the classic Liberty head design by Charles E. Barber, then Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint.

Liberty is shown wearing a laurel wreath on the obverse, while the reverse displays a wreath encircling the denomination “ONE DIME.”

The coin is composed of 90% silver and 10% copper, weighs just 2.5 grams, and measures 17.9 mm in diameter—standard specs for dimes from that era. But its real value lies not in materials or design, but in rarity.

One of the most famous legends surrounding this coin involves the daughter of John Daggett, then Superintendent of the San Francisco Mint.

As the story goes, he gave her three of the freshly minted 1894-S dimes, urging her to keep them safe. Like any young child, she didn’t quite understand the significance—and promptly spent one on ice cream.

That dime may now be worth over $2 million.

In a separate incident decades later, another 1894-S dime was discovered in a junk coin box at Gimbels department store in New York in 1957. It was purchased for just $2.40.

1894-S Barber Dime Auction Records and Market Value

The most recent sale of the 1894-S Barber Dime occurred in January 2025, when a high-grade specimen sold at Heritage Auctions for $2.16 million. Previously, in 2016, another example fetched $1.99 million.

For detailed auction history and coin facts, refer to PCGS CoinFacts.

These prices reflect not only the coin’s rarity but also the passion of collectors and investors for historically significant numismatic pieces.

With such high values at stake, authenticating an 1894-S Barber Dime is critical. Most known examples are already graded and encapsulated by trusted services like:

• Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS)

• Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC)

These organizations verify a coin’s authenticity and assign it a quality grade. Counterfeits exist, and the risk is especially high with coins of this caliber.

If you believe you may own—or have found—a valuable coin, you can also contact the U.S. Mint for guidance on proper handling and evaluation.

While the odds of finding a genuine 1894-S Barber Dime in your pocket change are virtually zero, collectors and treasure hunters still hold out hope. Estate sales, old coin collections, and forgotten boxes of change remain popular hunting grounds for rare coins.

For those interested in starting or expanding a coin collection, the American Numismatic Association offers beginner resources, online courses, and a searchable database of certified dealers.

Coin collecting can be more than a hobby—it can be a serious investment and a journey through history.

The story of the 1894-S Barber Dime is a reminder that history hides in the smallest corners. A simple coin, smaller than a thumbnail, has become a multimillion-dollar artifact because of its scarcity, mystery, and legacy.

So next time you check your change, take a closer look. You might not find an 1894-S Barber Dime—but as coin collectors will tell you, the thrill is in the hunt.