Walking Liberty Half Dollar

The Walking Liberty Half Dollars were minted from 1916 to 1947. The design is by Adolph A. Weinman and his initials AAW are under the eagle’s wing feathers on the reverse.

At the turn of the century American coinage was being changed due to President Theodore Roosevelt’s doings. The new half dollar replaced the unpopular Barber half dollar. It was released along with the Mercury Dime and the Standing Liberty Quarter.

The Walking Liberty half dollar is considered to be one of the best designed silver coins in American coinage history.

The design is full length portrayal of a flag-draped Miss Liberty marching toward a sunrise. The reverse represented American’s strong military might with a powerful eagle ready for flight. The world recognized these symbols within a few months of the release of the coins, as more than just boasting. The United States was know to enter a conflict, mobilize quickly and in the end defeat Germany in World War II.

Walking Liberty half dollars are called “Walkers” for short and are highly sought after by collectors. The attractive design and affordability for all dates have built a very devoted following. Most Walking Liberty half dollars are weakly struck and especially those struck during the war when the dies were used for too long.

The Walking Liberty half dollar’s design was resurrected in 1986 for the design for the front side of the American Eagle one ounce silver bullion cube which is still in production.