[The following excerpt is published courtesy of DLRC Press and its author, David Lawrence This information was originally published in 1991 in The Complete Guide to Barber Dimes]
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MAJOR DESIGN CHANGES
HUB CHANGES:
The Barber dime was put into production in 1892 and the design remained unchanged until 1900 when the obverse and reverse hubs were modified. The changes were first discussed and illustrated by McClosky In a Collectors’ Clearinghouse article in 1980. The switch in obverse hubs was straightforward, with the transition taking place in 1900, but the use of the two reverse hubs was surprising. This is outlined in the table that follows.
OBVERSE I (1892 – 1900): The leaves in liberty’s wreath have rounded tips and the leaf below “S” in STATES is distant.
OBVERSE II (1900 – 1916): The leaves are more pointed and the leaf below “S” is close.
REVERSE I (1892 – 1901, 1903-S, 1905-S): The right ribbon on the wreath below the bow is thin.
REVERSE II (1901 – 1916, but see table): The right ribbon below the bow is thicker with an extra fold on the underside.
MINT MARK CHANGES
There were several types of “S” mint marks used in the Barber Dime series. From 1892—1898, the S was thick in the center diagonal, leaving the upper and lower loops fairly closed. Beginning in 1899, however, several thinner, more open S styles were used, including different shapes in the same year- The early S is distinctive, which can be useful in counterfeit detection.
Early S mint mark, 1892 -1898
One of several S mint marks used after 1898