History of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar
Weinman’s Walking Liberty half dollar — Liberty striding toward the sunrise draped in the flag — is so admired that the design was revived for the American Silver Eagle in 1986. Struck from 1916 to 1947, each coin contains 0.3617 troy ounces of silver.
Early dates (1916–1929) include scarce, expensive issues, while the 1940s "short set" of common dates is a beloved entry-level project in gorgeous gem grades. Strike quality varies wildly; fully struck examples with complete hand and skirt-line detail bring meaningful premiums.
The Walking Liberty half was struck from 1916 to 1947 in 90% silver, 10% copper. The design is the work of Adolph A. Weinman. Each coin weighs 12.50 grams and measures 30.6 mm across. Production took place at Philadelphia, Denver (D) and San Francisco (S).
How much is a Walking Liberty half worth?
Prices for the Walking Liberty half move with the collector market and with the price of precious metals. Use the ranges below as a starting point for problem-free examples, not as a guarantee.
Printed price guides age quickly. The most honest benchmark is what comparable coins actually sold for, which is why CoinVault Pro shows live values built on Numista catalog data and real eBay sold results whenever it identifies a coin.
- Common dates, circulated: $10–$14 (silver value)
- Common dates, XF: $14–$20
- MS-63 (1940s dates): $40–$70
- MS-65: $120–$200
- Early keys (1916-S, 1921, 1921-D): $100–$3,000+
How to identify a genuine Walking Liberty Half Dollar
Before you get excited about a potential find, confirm that the coin in your hand matches the genuine article. Work through this checklist:
When a coin fails any of these checks, treat it with suspicion. Modern counterfeits can be convincing at arm's length, but weight, dimensions and die details rarely lie.
- Mint marks appear on the obverse below the motto in 1916–early 1917, then move to the lower-left reverse.
- The 1921 and 1921-D are the circulated keys; the 1919-D is the condition rarity.
- Check Liberty’s left hand and the skirt lines for strike quality — softness there is common.
Check your Walking Liberty half with CoinVault Pro
The fastest way to find out what you have is to photograph the coin with CoinVault Pro. The app identifies it using Gemini AI combined with Coin-CLIP image matching, estimates a grade on the full Sheldon 1–70 scale, and shows live market values built on Numista catalog data and real eBay sold prices.
From there you can add the coin to your collection, track its value over time, put upgrades on your wishlist, or list it on the in-app marketplace with escrow protection. The app is free to download on iOS and Android.