Focusing On Walking Liberty Half Dollars

Read your post, and thought I'd share the set I completed years ago. Always intended to go back and upgrade later on, but life kept getting in the way. Not real good scans, but that's all I have saved in the 'puter.....album has been in the box at the bank since I finished it.

The first page of the set is the money shot. It seems like you 16-S, 21, 21-D and 21-S are all in AG condition and one at least the date is almost completely gone. If you had the money now you could really improve the set. All the coins before 1929 could be improved to at least Fine condition, but the money shots will cost you. I think it is worth it. I have a set of Walkers and am attempting to close in on a set of LSQ's. The LSQ's are much harder to find before 1924 with decent dates and much more expensive. I paid $1300 for a 1923-S LSQ in EF and $440 for a 1919-D LSQ in VF. I know I can get the 1919-S, but the 1916 with a good, strong date is going to make me cry. $6000-7000 for a small, thin silver coin with just a readable date is a lot of money. The Walkers are much easier to get because even if they are worn you often have a decent date.

Just catching up on this thread, but I think you made the right decision keeping all 4. Everyone goes through a learning curve starting a collection, and you learn the most from your mistakes. Keep filling holes with the best examples you can find/afford, and upgrade when you get the right opportunity. Those cleaned coins/lower grade examples can be used as trade to reduce the price of new acquisitions.
If silver goes up, they could be worth what you paid as junk silver!

When I complete a set of coins I always get a let down feeling. This is where the upgrading can help out because you are never finished. I can always buy a better 1921-D Walker when and if I have the money. It is worth improving these sets from early 20th Century because I think they will just continue to appreciate. Both early gold and silver coins will appreciate if you have time.

I have yet to complete my walker set, it's hard to find and afford a xf 1921 and 1921 d to finish the set.

The 38-d is not bad for $52. They used to sell for much more and I guess new supply came on the market. If anyone can complete a set of Walkers in uniform EF condition that is really great. The ones before 1930 tend to be worn if they circulated at all. The really good ones are out there but you will pay because somebody had them in a collection for about 90 years.

There does seem to be some evidence of cleaning on that second obverse pic.

If you pay retail price for Walkers you probably cannot get your money out of them when you sell them. For common Walkers or ones that are in less than good condition you get about melt value. If you bought a 1918 Walker and you can read the date then $8 is a good price indeed. If you look at Walkers before 1929 they tend to be pretty expensive in EF and above condition. One thing for sure is that it is pretty hard to find them in MS-60 condition and beyond AU the prices go crazy. 1921 through 1921-S just in EF condition will cost you about $7000. I do believe that completing a set in any condition and then improving them to the best condition you can afford will pay off if you can wait and not turn over your collection too often as in doing a lot of trading to make small profits. You could spend many years and thousands of dollars improving a set of Walkers. The same goes for most sets of the early 20th century and without question for 18th and 19th Century American coins. The sky is the limit for Morgans and gold coin sets. The only gold set that seems to be able to be filled these days is the Quarter Eagle Indian Head. Other gold sets have certain coins that are just not available because of melt downs etc.