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The San Francisco Mint was first established in order to supply a place gold miners could sell their gold. This West Coast-based mint helped produce some of the most popular coin collections in history, including the Barber Half Dollars. It ended up being a very lucrative business, turning out $4 million dollars of gold in its first year. It quickly outgrew its first building and moved to the Granite Lady building, where it withheld its structure during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The building wasn't actually made of granite, just the basement was but the name was used for marketing and stuck. In 1937, it moved to its final facility that is still the San Fran Mint today.
The Barber series replaced the Seated Liberty coinage, by preference of the Mint Director, Edward Leech. After a failed attempt to offer a friendly competition among local artists, Leech resorted to Chief Engraver, William Barber, to come up with the design. Barber's design extended to the dime, quarter, and half dollar; being one of the only coin designs to serve on all currency. Liberty is wearing a Grecian leaf cap, on the obverse, as the reverse features the nation's seal. The Barber Dime is the only Barber coin to not showcase the heraldic eagle, holding the shield, on its reverse. The dime and quarter feature just the coin's monetary denomination. The 1905-S Barber Quarter was minted at the infamous West Coast mint and is in very good condition. Collectors expect very good condition to contain a healthy amount of wear, with certain details lacking, such as the leaves on Liberty's headpiece. The 1905-S also has a low mintage of just over 1.8 million.