The Walking Liberty half dollar is one of the most iconic American silver coins, designed by Adolph A. Weinman and minted from 1916 to 1947. The coin contains 0.3617 troy ounces of 90% silver, meaning it holds approximately 0.3255 troy ounces of pure silver. It weighs 12.5 grams total with 11.25 grams of actual silver content.
The Walking Liberty design is widely considered the most beautiful coin ever produced by the US Mint — so much so that it was revived in 1986 for the American Silver Eagle bullion program. These half dollars are a staple of the junk silver market, where they trade primarily for their metal content rather than numismatic value. Common-date specimens in circulated condition typically sell at a small premium over melt value, while key dates like the 1916-S and 1921 series can command significant collector premiums.
For stackers, Walking Liberty halves offer a cost-effective way to accumulate 90% silver. A $1 face value bag (two coins) contains 0.7234 oz of silver. Full $1,000 face value bags are a popular institutional-size purchase containing approximately 715 troy ounces of silver.
Common circulated dates trade at 1-5% over melt. Key dates (1916-S, 1921, 1921-D) carry significant numismatic premiums often 10-100x melt value.