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The Barber Half Dollar was designated to replace the Seated Liberty but finding a design was more difficult than imagined. The Mint Director Edward Leech, wanted to hold a competition for the next coinage design. Adding the appeal of a cash prize for the winner, the local turnout was a bit underwhelming. The artists that were invited to participate wanted a different prize, under different terms, and withdrew when their needs weren't met. Leech resorted to inside the mint, wherein he worked with the Chief Engraver at the time, to construct a new design. The Chief Engraver, William Barber, was approved by president, Benjamin Harrison, to move forward with the Barber coinage. The Barber collection is one of the only coin series to simultaneously have the same design on the half dollar, quarter, and dime. With their 90$ silver content, investors also jump at the opportunity to own these older collections. Named the lowest minted coin in the Barber Half Dollar series, the 1914 Barber is a top priority for all coin collectors. Minted at the first mint in the US, the Philadelphia Mint, only 124,230 Barber Half Dollars were minted in 1914. The 1914 Barber Half is in about good condition, with wear on both sides of the coin.
The history of the Philadelphia Mint is one that dates back to the beginning of this country. The US desperately needed an identity but also a means to international commerce so the Founding Fathers decided that a national mint was the answer. The Mint Act officially announced the opening of the Philadelphia Mint and also instituted guidelines for the newly minted currency. A dollar decimal system would be used to assign the currency with legal tender values. Also, an emblematic symbol of liberty must be included on US currency, hence why so many adaptations of Liberty have been used.