Numismatic

1916-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar Good

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The year 1916 marked the debut of a legendary American coin design, the Walking Liberty half dollar. Crafted by the sculptor Adolph Weinman, this fifty-cent piece represents a dramatic artistic shift in United States coinage. Strikingly beautiful even in a well-circulated Good condition, this first-year issue from the San Francisco Mint is a compelling artifact of early twentieth-century American artistry. On the obverse, Lady Liberty is depicted in stride, moving gracefully toward a rising sun while cradling a bundle of branches in her arm. The legendary motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" and the date "1916" are clearly integrated into this iconic composition. The reverse features an eagle perched atop a rugged mountain crag, wings slightly unfolded as if preparing for flight, alongside the traditional inscriptions "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "E PLURIBUS UNUM," and "HALF DOLLAR." Struck in 90% silver, each of these coins contains 0.3575 troy ounces of precious metal. The San Francisco Mint produced a relatively small run of just 508,000 of these half dollars in 1916, making the "S" mint mark issue from this inaugural year a particularly fascinating find for anyone exploring the evolution of United States coinage.