1938-D Liberty Walker

The 1938-D Walkers were hoarded, many years ago. The availability of these, akin to the 1921 and 1928 Peace dollars tends to exceed demand. A dealer at the FUN show had 14 rolls of the 38-D's in his case. I've long been able to pick them up for $45-$55 in the F-VF range. Going through dealer boxes, one can often find multiples of these "key" coins. IMHO, the coin publications have long ignored the supply side of some keys like these.

At almost every coin show I go to I see dealers with large amounts of Walking Liberty halves. Seeing many 38D's too is common. Must be one of their best sellers since they have so many or just a lot of them around.

Is there a coin show near Tampa any time soon? How do you find out?

The disparity of value for the 38-D's, price guides vs. shows, makes them great sellers. What collector doesn't like getting a bargain? Many collectors judge value by prices quoted in the magazines. Walkers in general have long been one of the most popular series to collect ... the design, the silver content and the overall cost factor to complete a set all contribute to its appeal.

IMHO, the "key" Walkers in grades below a true fine are quite plentiful and tend to be over-valued in the retail market. Savvy collectors can often buy these at shows from the high volume dealers. The OP's coin is typical of the buys that can be made at shows. If a dealer knows you to be a repeat buyer and not simply a "tire kicker," he'll give you some great buys. Buying coins in volume will get you the better deals, too.

While I've not personally seen rolls of the early date Walkers, they no doubt exist. I did once visit the home of a dealer who had six rolls of 1909-S VDB's. He was an old-timer who, along with his then deceased father had hoarded this date, among others. He would only sell those, piecemeal, to certain buyers. His holdings were among the largest I'd ever seen. Dealers, like collectors, are often reluctant to share the extent of their holdings.