1921 Walking Liberty Half Dollar

There was no leaner year for the production of Walking Liberty half dollars than 1921, when just a tad more than a total of 1 million pieces were struck across all three mints operating at the time – Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco. While type set collectors usually avoid buying any 1921 Walking Liberty halves simply because of the expense of those issues, series collectors who want to complete a date-and-mintmark set have no choice but to bite the bullet and drop some serious cash on these scarce coins.

Even in the lowly grade of “Good,” 1921 Walking Liberty half dollars are highly scarce. The following indicates the original mintages for each of the three half dollar issues from 1921:

• 1921, 246,000 minted; $200 in Good-4

• 1921-D, 208,000; $325

• 1921-S, 548,000; $50

These prices jump drastically as the grade improves. Consider, for example, the prices of these same three coins in a grade of XF-40; the 1921 goes for $1,800 in that grade, the ’21-D sets collectors back $2,500, and the ’21-S costs a whopping $5,500.

It would behoove any coin collector to buy certified 1921 half dollars since the risk of buying counterfeit or altered ’21 Walkers is simply too great. Also, be sure to spend a little extra time seeking problem-free pieces. It may be tempting to buy the first one available that you can find, but you might end up regretting your purchase later on if it comes riddled with nicks, dings, or shows signs of a past cleaning.

No Walking liberty half dollars would be made in 1922.