[The following excerpt is published courtesy of DLRC Press and its author, David Lawrence. This information was originally published in 1994 in The Complete Guide to Barber Quarters.]
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Mintage
Business strikes: 1,454,535
Varieties: Three mint mark positions including centered and far right. Also RPM and repunched dates exist:
101 1893-S/S RPM. Shown in Wexler & Miller’s book, but I have never seen one myself. (sketch)
102 Repunched Date. The 9 and 3 are doubled. (photo)
103 Repunched Date. The 1 shows doubling below the foot and the 3 at the top. Discovered by Shelby Parsons.
Scarcity: Difficult to find in all grades, but especially from Fine to EF. AU coins are sometimes available and should be bought if nice. Very scarce in mint state with only 47 certified (only 1 more than the 1913-S). The RPM is apparently rare.
Rarity Ratings: G/VG R3, F/VF R4, EX/AU R4, MS R5.
Ranking: 21st in mintage, 18th (tied) in certified population (47 coins), 15th (tied) in MS63 PI and only 9th (tied) in Gem Pl.
Comments: Comes with nice luster and a good strike. Sometimes, proof-like. Very strong collector demand in mid circulated grades. With only 2 coin graded MS65 and 2, MS66, it is tied with the 1903-0 as the scarcest coin in the set in MS65 and above.
