By David W. Boitnott | August 1997

Adolph Alexander Weinman was the big winner in the competition to replace the then current Barber designs. In addition to his winning design for The Winged Liberty Head Dime, Weinman also won the competition for the new half-dollar. His winning design, The Walking Liberty Half-Dollar has become a perennial top pick in many Numismatic publication’s surveys of America’s most beautiful coin designs. Mr. Weinman’s monogram style initials A over W appears on the reverse in the field to the right of the rock the eagle is perched on.

The designer himself best described the obverse design from which the coin gets its name when he was asked about his interpretation of the design. He stated "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 oaks, symbolic of civil and military glory. The hand of the figure is outstretched in bestowal of the spirit of Liberty." The top of the coin is banded in large letters emerging from beneath the central design, which spell LIBERTY. The date is located at the bottom below the striding Miss Liberty. The motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" appears to the right behind Miss Liberty and rounds out the design. Some feel the inspiration for the design came from the then current (1898 – 1920) French one and two Franc silver coins. You be the judge.

The central device of the reverse is an eagle with his wings unfolded perched high on a mountain in a defiant, courageous, and strong posture reflecting his knowledge of the power he possesses. There is also a sapling of Mountain Pine springing from the mountain where the eagle is perched symbolic of an emerging America. The remainder of the reverse is devoted to the statuary requirements; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA rings the top of the design from ten o’clock to two o’clock, the denomination HALF DOLLAR is at the bottom, and the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM is located to the left of the eagle and above the pine sprig.

The series ran from 1916 through 1947 serving the needs of the nation through two World Wars and the Great Depression before it was replaced by the Franklin Half-Dollar in 1948. The series can be divided into two types. The first type had the mintmark located on the obverse below the motto IN GOD WE TRUST and lasted only a year and a half (1916 – 1917). The second type which appeared in 1917 and continues for the remainder of the series had the mintmark moved to the reverse below the sapling at about eight o’clock. The date run was not continuous as no half-dollars were minted bearing the dates 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1931, or 1932. It was minted at all then current mints but not necessarily in the same year. The keys to the series are in the late teens through the sporadic low mintage issues of the twenties. The 1921 PDS set is tough in any grade above VG making assembling a high grade set difficult. Many collectors choose to assemble what is called a short set for which albums and plastic holders are available. This set runs from 1941 through 1947 and is reasonable in high grade. Whether just as a type coin, a short set, or a complete date and mintmark set every collector should consider adding a collection of Walking Liberty Half-Dollars to there holdings. It truly is one of America’s most beautiful coin designs.