The 1918 Walking Liberty Half Dollar was issued in the second year of the series. It was struck in Philadelphia in 1918. The coin gets its name “Walking Liberty” from the image on the coin of Lady Liberty, walking with an American flag and a rising sun behind her. Adolph Weinman won the commission to design the silver half dollar and dime. His other designs were rejected before this one was approved. Like the earlier Walking Liberty silver half dollar coins issued in Philadelphia, it does not have a mint mark. It has a white, satiny finish.
1918 Walking Liberty Silver Half Dollar Value and Scarcity
The 1918 Walking Liberty half dollar value is impacted by its scarcity as one of the rarer coins in the early Walking Liberty series (1916 – 1929). The 1918 Walking Liberty Half Dollar can range from $18 in lower circulated grade to upwards of $625 in higher uncirculated grades. Mint state coins are very scarce and like most coins from Philadelphia, are well struck. The Gem grade coins (grade 65-66) are rarer than the 1916 and 1917 issues of this coin.
As with other new coin releases, many of these new silver dollars were eliminated from circulation when they were added to the collections of amateur and serious numismatists. The 1918 Walking Liberty silver half dollars are rarer than the 1920 coin in this series but not nearly as rare as the 1919 and 1921 coins, but these are all key dates for this coin. Like most silver half dollars, the higher face value of the coin impacted the number of coins saved when first issued.
Type of coin: Half Dollar
Year: 1918 Walking Liberty Half Dollar
Mint Mark: Philadelphia
Total mintage: 6,634,000
Metal content: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Face value: 50 cents
Weight: 12.5 grams
Edge: Reeded
Designer: Adolph Alexander Weinman
Diameter: 30.00 millimeters