The Walking Liberty Half Dollar first appeared in late 1916. It was the
third new U.S. coin released that year, joining the
Mercury Dime and
Standing
Liberty Quarter.
All new designs came about beginning in 1915, when Mint Director Robert Woolley
invited three New York sculptors, Hermon A. MacNeil, Albin Polasek and Adolph A.
Weinman, to propose new looks for the dime, quarter, and half dollar.
MacNeil's quarter was selected. Weinman's dime and half dollar entries
were likewise chosen.
US Coin
Values Advisor has completed
Coin Value Tables™ for the Walking Liberty Half Dollar,
reporting price trends over a long period of time for individual coins of
the series.
Some historians believe Woolley's original
intent was to award each sculptor with one design, but this is not what
happened. Instead, Polasek was left empty handed. Nevertheless, the
new coinage of 1916 won praise for its artistic qualities and strong national
symbolism, as the U.S. drew ever closer toward direct involvement in World War
I.
Weinman selected a patriotic theme, depicting a full-length portrayal
of a flag-draped Miss Liberty marching toward a glorious sunrise. The reverse
design represented America’s military might, featuring a powerful eagle ready
for flight, armed with fearsome talons. A few short months after the Walking
Liberty coin was released, the world recognized these symbols as more than just
an idle boast: The United States entered the conflict, mobilized quickly, and
turned the tide of war against Germany and the other Central Powers.
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Walking Liberty
Half Dollar
Specifications |
Diameter: |
Weight: |
Minted: |
Composition: |
Designer |
Edge: |
30.6 mm |
12.50 g |
1916-1947 |
.100 Cu .900
Ag |
A. A. Weinman |
Reeded |
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Coin Photos courtesy of
Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA. |
Director
Woolley was quite proud of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, as reflected in his
annual report of 1916:
The design
of the half dollar bears a full-length figure of Liberty, the folds of the Stars and Stripes flying to the breeze as a background, progressing in full stride toward the dawn of a new day, carrying branches of laurel and oak, symbolical of civil and military glory. The hand of the figure is outstretched in bestowal of the spirit of Liberty. The reverse of the half dollar shows an eagle perched high upon a mountain crag, his wings unfolded, fearless in spirit and conscious of his power. Springing from a rift in the rock is a sapling of mountain pine, symbolical of America.
Walking Liberty Half Dollars, called "Walkers" for short, are actively
sought by a core of serious collectors. The coin's attractive design
and affordable availability for all dates and of Uncirculated examples dated
1934 and beyond have done much to build a devoted following. Mint
State half dollars of 1916-1933 are generally quite elusive and require
buckets of cash to obtain bona fide examples.
Most Walkers are weakly struck,
most notably during the World War II years, when coining dies were used far
beyond their expected lifespan. Thus, sharply struck specimens command
substantial premiums. The series ended in 1947.
The Walking Liberty half dollar
earned a great compliment in 1986, when the
design was resurrected for the front side of the
American Eagle one-ounce silver bullion coin. It has been minted every year since.
There are a number of key dates in the Walker series that always have and
always will command higher prices with every passing generation of
collectors, because of true scarcity relative to demand:
Some people would have included the 1916-S in
place of the 1916, but thanks to a terrific surge the last few years, the
1916 now outranks the 1916-S, at least in percent returns. Really,
though, you can't go wrong with the
1916-S, either.
A good place to begin your search is online coin auctions at
eBay. If your joy is to collect later date Walker gems, be careful!
Because of the popularity of Walking Liberty Half Dollars, too many crooked
promoters (e.g.
telemarketers from the 1980s) cleaned coins and
misrepresented them as higher grade material to unwitting buyers.
Thus, the supply today is somewhat tainted. You can reduce the
possibility of getting stuck by insisting that key date or gem Walkers have been certified by one of the "Big
Four" grading services, PCGS, NGC, ANACS, or ICG. If not
certified, then at
least make sure you're buying from a highly reputable dealer.
The left
hand side of each "Sales Box" is value trend data over a very long period of
time for the date headlined, in VG-8 condition. The percent annual
increase is computed for comparative purposes. The coin pictured for
sale in the right hand side is not necessarily an example in VG-8
condition.
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1916
Walk Liberty Half
Condition: VG-8
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1921
Walk Liberty Half
Condition: VG-8
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Value Trends
1950: $1.00
1980: $22.50
1995: $22.50
2003: $40.00
2007: $75.00
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Value Trends
1950: $3.00
1980: $65.00
1995: $75.00
2003: $175
2007: $250
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
7.87%
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
8.07%
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The great Babe Ruth of New York Yankee fame
actually began his career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, helping the
Sox to World Series titles in 1916 and 1918. In 1920, Red Sox owner
Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the Yankees for $100,000 and a $350,000 loan to
finance Frazee's Broadway business. This was perhaps the worst decision in
the history of baseball. In his next 15 seasons in New York, Ruth led
the Yankees to four world championships. As for the Red Sox, their team
struggled for decades while the Yankees continued to prosper. This great imbalance between the two
teams led to a superstition dubbed the "Curse of the Bambino",
alleged to have begun because the Sox sold Ruth, often called The Bambino,
to the Yankees. The
spell was finally ended after 86 years, when the Red Sox won the World
Series in 2004.