The Walking Liberty half dollar is an enduring classic engraved by Adolph A. Weinman, the designer of the Mercury dime. This graceful coin features Lady Liberty adorned in an American Flag and striding towards the rising sun with her right arm outstretched, carrying branches of laurel and oak. The reverse features a powerful perched eagle with open wings and a branch of Mountain Pine, symbolic of America. The Walking Liberty design was exceptionally detailed compared to previous coins, which led to persistent problems with the sharpness of strike and production quality— accelerating its replacement by the Franklin half dollar in 1948. The lasting beauty of this unique design was immortalized in 1986 when the U.S. Mint chose to adopt the Walking Liberty obverse for the American Silver Eagle bullion coin, which has become one of the most widely distributed silver bullion coins in the world. Today, many of the Walking Liberty half dollar issues are scarce in high grades, and completion of an entire collection of these coins in uncirculated condition remains a formidable challenge for collectors and investors alike.
