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 Replies: 17 / Views: 2,660 |
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Valued Member
United States
105 Posts |
Hi everyone I'm thinking about slowly collecting the Walking Liberty half dollars and was hoping some people would have some starting tips. I really enjoy old silver coins and really like the design on this coin. I'm doing this for fun so I'm not trying to make money. I just want a collection I can be proud of. I like this collection because looks like you can get a lot of the later dates in a high grade for not to much. However there are a few key dates that should be fun looking for and trying to get them for the best deal. Thanks |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
940 Posts |
Hi Okie, This is my favorite US coin series, and I think the coin design is more beautiful than any other US coin, including the Saint-Gaudens double eagle. It comes from the "Renaissance" era of US coinage, which includes the beautiful Mercury dime and Standing Liberty quarter. I prefer to collect higher grade, well-struck specimens, rather than chase after worn-down, hyped-up "key dates." I have no ambitions on putting together a complete set. I just want nice coins to look at. As you mentioned, the 1940s are plentiful, which means you can get beautiful uncirculated specimens for a reasonable amount. I prefer to go after the pre-1940 halves (XF-AU as well as BU), because they are more "underrated," but still attainable, and have greater potential for appreciation. It all depends on your collecting budget. Enjoy this beautiful series . . . |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
@ Classic Coins: I could have written that exact post....!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
940 Posts |
sel_69l,
I appreciate that.
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Valued Member
United States
89 Posts |
I agree that it is the most beautiful design. I recently completed the short set and it is my favorite set. I also agree with Classic Coins that it is underrated. Most are priced at their lowest levels, in basically all grades, of the last 8 years. Good time to be buying them, I think.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7193 Posts |
The walker set is truly beautiful. High grades prior to 1933 are tough to find and as mentioned expensive. They have been a lifetime endeavor for me and I'm still looking for many upgrades from the early years.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
675 Posts |
Walking Liberty Halfs are a great series to work on! I am currently closing in on the halfway point in my set. The coins look great whether they are well circulated, uncirculated, or anywhere in between. The one piece of advise I would give you is not to settle on the key dates. I see a lot of sets out there where all the coins are nice circulated pieces with full rims and dates, but the 21 and 21-D are so worn that only the last couple letters of the dates are visible. I would recommend spending a little more money to make sure you get what you want out of those key dates.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
Learn to grade coins if you don't already. My first Walking Liberty came from my friend's couch! Did some research on it, disclosed everything, made an offer, made the deal. My next halves were Franklins that came from my grandma's hidden stash of silver coins. She must have thought they were obsolete and never used them.
Set some goals for yourself and decide how you want to collect them because with coins it's very easy to get carried away and veer off course. My early collection is all over the place.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8904 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8137 Posts |
I have found that circulated walkers look a lot better than the unc. ones.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Oddly enough although a really popular series, plenty of them are available. And some at really reasonable prices. They do get sort of tuff when you get to the rarer ones, but not impossible. At many coin shows you could see every one in the series for sale. Possibly due to how popular they are, many dealers try to have an assortment of them in various grades. Oddly enough if you do roll searching, occationally you may even find a few that way. One of the many coins us older people continue to say why didn't I save all those when they were the only ones in circulation? IF you have any coin shows in your area, I suggest starting with them for the easier ones for now. And remember at a coin show, no postage, handling, lost in mail, etc. Of course the best way would be to invent a time machine, go back to the 30's and 40's and grab all you see.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
675 Posts |
 with Carl regarding them all being available at a coin show. I was at a modest sized show yesterday and one dealer had them all (including a BU 1921  ). Many other dealers had a good selection of them on display. They aren't a hard series to find. Another option is to see if you have any local dealers who will let you dig through 90% silver. One of my dealers usually has a ton of Walkers in there, and quite a few of them are VG/Fine, with a few even better. I can get these for just a touch over melt, and have even found some from the 20s and teens in there. |
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Valued Member
 United States
105 Posts |
Thank you everyone for the information. I'm planning on going to my first coin show in May. I'm guessing I will be overwhelmed since it's my first show at least that's how I felt when I went to my first gun show.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
593 Posts |
I agree they are bueatiful coins and bargains can sometimes be found. I picked up a 1917 obverse S in EF condition at a show yesterday for $18 !. It was only identified as a 1917 on the holder
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Pillar of the Community
United States
656 Posts |
I've been able to get nice looking circulated examples in 90% junk rolls. I usually find a few I need to fill holes or upgrade existing dates per roll.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
940 Posts |
Santafeboy,
Nice pickup! It's nice when that happens.
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Replies: 17 / Views: 2,660 |
Posted 02/17/2014 12:41 am
