1940 Walking Liberty Half Dollar

1940 Walking Liberty half dollars are about as numerous as many of the mid-to-late 1930s issues, with a shade more than 13 million pieces minted in 1940. Of note, only the Philadelphia and San Francisco mints struck Walking Liberty halves in 1940, with the Denver mint focusing on the production of lower denominations, such as the cent, nickel, dime, and quarter.

Meanwhile, 1940 marks the fifth year of consecutive proof issues for the Walking Liberty half dollar. As is true for the 1940 proof issue, all Walking Liberty half dollar proof specimens are highly scarce and are in high-demand among coin collectors. Proof without haze and with a good degree of reflectivity in the fields and cameo effect on the devices are especially sought after.

Below is a breakdown of mintages and values for 1940 Walking Liberty halves in Fine-12, unless otherwise noted 

• 1940, 9,156,000 minted; $12

• 1940-S, 4,550,000; $12

• 1940 Proof, 11,279; $1,000

Both the 1940 and 1940-S Walking Liberty half dollars are quite common in uncirculated grades, with MS-60 examples of each valued at right around $45. As always, when you buy any uncirculated Walking Liberty half dollars, be sure to avoid pieces with nicks and scratches, and aim your sights on those with good strike and great overall luster, as these pieces are quite attractive and can yield good returns when the time comes to sell.