Barber Half Dollar - Changing Artistic Tastes

For much of the second half of the 19th century, most U.S. silver coins bore a design of a seated Liberty, introduced to U.S. coins in the late 1830s. As artistic tastes changed over time, it was increasingly disliked in the United States. This led to the Liberty Head half dollar, more often referred to by the name of its designer, Charles E. Barber.