1947 Walking Liberty Half Dollar

1947 was the last year Walking Liberty half dollars were struck, and the end occurred without much fanfare for the coin. In fact, San Francisco didn’t strike any Walking half dollars in 1947, and wouldn’t strike any 50-cent coins until 1949, the second year of the Franklin half dollar type, which began in 1948. 1947 Walking halves were not struck in great numbers, at least when compared to years from earlier in the 1940s. In all, only about 8 million half dollars were struck in 1947.

Here’s a look at how those roughly 8 million Walkers were divided between the Philadelphia and Denver mints:

• 1947, 4,094,000 minted; $15

• 1947-D, 3,900,600; $15

*Values provided are for 1947 halves grading XF-40

You would probably imagine that values for uncirculated 1947 halves would be in the hundreds, especially as those mintage figures are similar to production numbers for the series from the 1920s.

However, it’s important to remember that mintages don’t equal surviving populations (an especially good lesson to call to mind when referring to coins of an older vintage). Very few uncirculated Walking halves from the 1920s survive in that grade spectrum today. Conversely, huge numbers of 1947 half dollars were saved in Mint State grades, leaving plenty available for coin collectors who want a pristine specimen of the Walking Liberty half dollar from its last year of production – the finale of a truly beautiful coin.