The Lathes of Giants -William Barber

As part of a continuing
series to familiarize the
public with great artists of
heroic persona, the men
who worked the gold and
silver of our national
coinage, I will periodically
feature short biographies of
the creators of our splendid
US coins.
Today’s entry is William
Barber, British by birth,
American by choice, he
came to our shores in 1852,
family in tow. Himself the
son of an engraver, William
(1807-1879) was
apprenticed to his father in
his early years and gained
wide experience in such
varied arts as typesetting for
cards and labels, and fine
silver engraving.
After settling in Boston in
September of 1852, he
continued his craft,
designing a host of patterns
(prototypes for coins for
possible circulation), trade
medals, commemoratives,
etc. His employer of long
standing in Boston, Gorham
& Co, manufactured silver
and gold jewelry, and had a
reputation similar to famous
contemporaries as Tiffany &
Co.
With such long exposure to
and experience in the trades
of gold and silver and
precious metals fabrication,
die making and pattern
design, it is no surprise that
William Barber eventually
came to the attention of US
Mint officials, specifically
James B. Longacre. The
Chief Engraver hired him as
an assistant engraver just as
the civil war was winding
down in 1865. Moving to
Philadelphia, Barber set to
work designing patterns and
medals.
Upon the death of Longacre
in 1869, William Barber was
named Fifth Chief Engraver
of the United States Mint, at
a salary of $3,000 per year.
This position he held until
his death on August 31,
1879. In a sign of the
clichéd patronage at the
Mint that Longacre had tried
to eradicate, Barber
immediately hired his
untested son Charles as an
assistant engraver.
Primarily renowned for his
work in pattern coins,
Barber was also responsible
for production of a variety
of fine medals. The dies and
prototypes for these coins
and medals were repeated,
improved upon, slightly
modified, etc., over many
iterations. Two of the
prototypical examples of
William Barber’s work,,
would be the silver wreath
seated liberty design,
example shown here: http://
uspatterns.com/1870
barberset1.html
and the Amazonian seated
liberty quarter.
Although William Barber’s
body of work has been
considered inconsistent and
uninspired by some, there is
no doubt that he was one
of the most influential and
prolific pattern designers in
the history of the US Mint.
In addition, his fame may
have only been increased
by some of his poorer
productions. For example,
the newly-created twenty-
cent piece Barber designed
(1875-1878) was
immediately unpopular, due
to it’s similarity in design
and size to the Liberty
Seated quarter then in
circulation. After a large run
in the coin’s first year,
production dropped to
practically nothing; only
extremely rare proofs from
the mintage of 1877 and
1878 are extant. In addition,
many of the coins that were
minted were melted down at
the Carson City or
Philadelphia mints due to
the lack of public interest.
This curiosity factor,
combined with the rarity of
this specimen, makes the
Liberty Seated quarter highly
popular among
numismatists, ensuring that
his name and the fine
examples of his work will be
discussed for many years to
come.
NEXT UP: Keeping it in the
Family: Son Charles takes
the reins