90% Silver Walking Liberty Half | $1 Face Value

The Design That Became the Silver Eagle

This lot delivers $1 in face value of 90% silver Walking Liberty half dollars, two coins struck by the US Mint between 1916 and 1947. Art historian Cornelius Vermeule ranked Adolph Weinman’s design among the most beautiful the US Mint ever struck, and the Mint itself made the same judgment in a roundabout way: a modified version of this coin’s obverse has appeared on the American Silver Eagle bullion coin every year starting in 1986. Two half dollars, $1 face value, 90% silver.

The Design

Weinman’s Liberty strides left toward a rising sun, the American flag streaming from her shoulder, one arm reaching forward and the other cradling branches of oak and laurel. The reverse carries an eagle perched on a rocky crag, wings partly raised, with a mountain pine sapling growing from the rock beside it, a detail Weinman meant as a symbol of the country itself. Numismatic historians have also traced a resemblance between Liberty’s face and Weinman’s earlier Baltimore war memorial sculpture, and some believe the same model sat for both this coin and the Mercury dime. A symbol of America, added by Weinman himself.

Specifications

Each half dollar is struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, for about 0.715 troy ounces of silver per $1 face value across the two coins. The coins measure 30.6 mm across with a reeded edge. 0.715 troy ounces per dollar is the industry-standard figure, not the coins’ exact mint weight. Full current specs are on the Specifications tab above.

A Note on Wear and Condition

These are circulated coins that passed through decades of pocket change before reaching a stack, so wear is normal and expected. Full legends and dates remain legible on every coin, while the high points, Liberty’s gown and the eagle’s breast feathers, show the smoothing that circulation leaves behind. Our part in it: we do not dip or clean the coins we sell, so what you receive reflects genuine circulation wear, not an artificial brightening. Wear is normal here, not a defect to worry about.

Walking Liberty Half Dollar FAQ

What does “$1 face value” mean here?

It means the coins add up to $1 in old US currency, not $1 in what you’d pay today. At $1 face value, that’s two 90% silver half dollars, since each one carries a $0.50 denomination. Face value sets the count, not the price you pay.

How much actual silver is in this lot?

About 0.715 troy ounces of pure silver across the two half dollars, the industry-standard figure for $1 face value of 90% silver. The coins’ exact mint weight works out closer to 0.7234 ounces, and the lower figure accounts for the metal that decades of circulation wear off. 0.715 ounces is the standard, adjusted down for circulation wear.

What condition are these coins in?

Circulated, meaning these passed through decades of pocket change before reaching a stack. Full legends and dates stay legible, and the high points show the smoothing normal for coins this age. Condition is circulated, not a fresh, unhandled strike.

Will I get a specific date or mint mark?

No, dates and mint marks are our choice based on available inventory, and coins may vary from any specific dates pictured. Date and mint mark vary, only the face value and silver content are fixed.

Is there really a connection between this coin and the Mercury dime?

Possibly. Some numismatic historians believe the same woman modeled for both Weinman’s Walking Liberty half and his Mercury dime, based on an account her daughter gave decades later. It’s a widely repeated story in the hobby, not a documented certainty. The link is plausible, not proven beyond doubt.

Want other 90% silver half dollars? Browse our full 90% Silver Half Dollars selection.

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