It is one of the common beliefs of American numismatics that the Barber design for dimes, quarters and half dollars was created entirely by that artist with almost no outside interference or guidance. Nothing could be further from the truth and thereby hangs a tale.
During the 1870s, the half dollar was one of our most popular coins, and the mints turned them out by the millions. By 1877, so many had been struck that merchants had begun to mutter that there was too much silver around and the government ought to start striking a few less coins, starting with the half dollar.
The merchants got their wish, but in a way that was totally unexpected and not especially welcome. The merchants would have been happy had the mints continued to turn out silver coins because in 1877 came one of those events that astonished contemporaries and still causes confusion among present-day numismatists.
In 1862, during the Civil War, hoarding by a war-weary and nervous public became so widespread that all silver coins were out of circulation by June of that year. What was not realized at the time was that a large portion of the coins, especially quarters and half dollars, had gone to Canada and Central America.
For reasons that are still not
