1928-S 50C AU53 Certification #84205306, PCGS #6588

Charles Morgan

The 1928-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar

While public reception for Adolph A. Weinman’s Walking Liberty Half Dollar was enthusiastic, production throughout the 1920s remained sporadic. The silver dollar minting requirements mandated by the Pittman Act of 1918 diverted significant coining capacity away from subsidiary silver. During this decade, the San Francisco Mint carried the bulk of the burden, striking nearly 60% of all Walking Liberty Half Dollars produced and accounting for 100% of the entire 1928 issue (1,940,000 pieces).

Collecting the 1928-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar

Replicating Weinman’s artistic design presented severe technical challenges for Mint engravers. Because the highest relief points of the obverse (Liberty’s head and torso) aligned directly opposite the highest relief points of the reverse (the eagle’s breast and legs), metal failed to flow completely into the die cavities during impression. Despite minor die modifications in 1918 and further redesigns in the 1930s, San Francisco strikes remained notoriously weak, typically displaying flat details on Liberty’s left hand, skirt lines, and the eagle’s breast feathers. Echoing David Hall's remarks following this coin narrative, I, too, have yet to personally examine a 1928-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar (#6588) that is particularly well struck. 

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David Hall

The 1928-S in scarce in higher circulated grades and quite rare in mint state. It is definitely one of the key dates in the series in Gem condition. The 1928-S is a little rarer than the 1927-S, but not quite as rare as the 1923-S. Strike can be a real problem with this issue and there are many mint state specimens that are very weakly struck on Ms. liberty's hand and in the central eagle's feathers on the reverse. Even a decent strike is very rare and I cannot recall seeing an example that I would call well struck. Luster can be white and somewhat frosty, but toned mint state coins seem to be in the majority.