1944 Liberty Half Dollar Value Guide

What Is the 1944 Walking Liberty Half Dollar Made Of?

Once dubbed as the most beautiful coin in US history, the 1944 Walking Liberty half dollar is undoubtedly a much sought-after collector’s item. The coin is made of silver, plus it has an unusual size for a half-dollar.  

The 1944 Walking Liberty half dollar was issued almost eight decades ago. This means this coin is getting more difficult to find in superb condition.

When it comes to composition, the 1944 Liberty 50-cent coin is made of 90% silver and 10% copper. It has a fineness of 0.9 and an actual silver weight (ASW) of 0.3617 oz. Other specifications include the following:

• Mass of 12.50 grams
• Diameter of 30.63 millimeters
• Value of 50 cents
• Years of minting: 1916 to 1947
• Reeded edge

The man behind the impressive design of the 1944 Walking Liberty is the popular engraver and sculptor Adolph A. Weinman.

On the obverse side of the coin, you’ll find the walking Liberty carrying oak and laurel branches. There are also other elements on the head of the coin, which include the sun and a portion of the American flag.

Liberty is no doubt an important principle in American history. That’s why this coin is very popular in the US. Inscriptions on the obverse include LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and 1944.

The reverse side of the coin is also beautifully designed. You find the heraldic eagle perched on a mountaintop. Its wings are outspread while a sapling of mountain pine springs from the mountain crag.

Inscriptions include the following:

• UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• E PLURIBUS UNUM
• HALF DOLLAR

Although the design of the 50-cent coin is exquisite, it is difficult to translate into the die perfectly. That’s why most 1944 coins are not totally detailed in their appearance. After 30 years, the Walking Liberty was replaced by the Franklin half dollar.

1944 Walking Liberty Half Dollar Varieties

There are three official varieties of the 1944 Walking Liberty half-dollar. These include the 1944-D, 1944-P, and 1944-S 50-cent coins. If you look at these varieties, they all look the same. The main difference is the mint mark, which indicates where the coin was struck.

So, for 1944-D, you have the D mintmark and the S mintmark for the 1944-S. The 1944-P or the coins from the Philadelphia mint don’t have mintmarks.

Here’s a quick look at the mintage figure of the 1944 Walking Liberty half dollar:

1944 D Walking Liberty Half Dollar

The 1944-D 50-cent is more difficult to find in MS65 or in better condition than the 1945-D or 1946-D. However, 1943 and earlier years are more difficult to find. Although the production of the Liberty half-dollar decreased in 1944, it is still a high mintage figure compared to other series. In 1944, there were more than 9.7 million Walking Liberty coins. Price may range from $14 to $322.

1944 P Walking Liberty Half Dollar

The Philadelphia Mint produced the most number of 1944 Walking Liberty half-dollar coins. At the end of 1944, more than 28 million coins were issued. However, this mintage is nothing compared to how many were struck in 1943, which reached more than 53 million.

Most 1944-P Walking Liberty half dollar coins feature a white frosty luster. The 1944-P is more difficult to find in mint state condition compared to the 1941, 1942, 1953, and 1945 series.
You may also remember that 1944 was a time of war. This was the reason that quality control wasn’t a high priority.

Thus, you’ll find a lot of 1944-P 50-cent coins with mushy and distorted appearance. Some of these coins in this variety even lost their “AW” initials. The 1944-P 50-cent may range from $17 to $37.

1944 S Walking Liberty Half Dollar Proof

There were only about 8.9 million 1944-S fifty-cent coins struck in 1944. The 1944-S in mint state are scarce, although they are not completely rare. What’s notable about the 1944-S is the poor strike, especially on the left hand of Ms. Liberty. In fact, the 1944-S is considered to be the coin with the second worst strikes, only next to the 1940-S. The price can be around $28 to $38.

List Of 1944 Walking Liberty Half Dollar Errors

There were more than 46.8 million half-dollar coins struck in 1944. Although the mintage isn’t that high compared to other series, some coins still came out from the mint with an error.

The United States is in the middle of the war. So, producing high-quality coins wasn’t a priority.

The most common errors include the doubled die reverse. This happens when the die strikes the planchet twice, leading to doubling some engraved elements. DDRs can be difficult to detect. However, the more prominent the error is, the higher the price.

There are also several RPM errors or repunched mintmarks. This happens when the mint marks are struck to the planchet twice.

As mentioned above, there are also some 1944 50-cent coins that lost the designer’s initials, “AW.” Because the die is in poor condition, it failed to engrave all its elements to the planchet, especially the AW initials.

How Much Is 1944 Walking Liberty Half Dollar Worth Today?

The 1944 Walking Liberty half dollar has a face value of $0.50. Its melt value is actually higher because it is made of silver. At the time of this writing, the melt value of the 1944 Walking Liberty half-dollar is $8.6011. This value may increase or decrease depending on the market value of silver.

Looking at the face value and melt value, you might think the coin won’t sell that much. Yet, its real value doesn’t lie there, there are 1944 50-cent coins that can be sold for hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

To help you know the true potential of the 1944 Walking Liberty half-dollar in terms of pricing, take a look at this values chart:

To truly understand the value of the 1944 Liberty half-dollar, you should check out the following auction records for each variety:

• $109,250 – a 1944 50C (Regular Strike) with a grade of MS68 sold in August 2010 by Heritage Auctions
• $57,600 – a 1944-D 50C (Regular Strike) coin with a grade of MS68 sold in June 2021 by Stack’s Bowers
• $40,800 – a 1944-S 50C (Regular Strike) coin with a grade of MS67 sold in June 2021 by Stack’s Bowers

How Does The Grading System Work?

The Sheldon Scale is used by numismatists to provide a numerical value to coins. The Sheldon Scale goes from poor (P-1) to perfect mint state (P-1) (MS-70). Coins were originally evaluated using words to reflect their condition (Good, Fair, Excellent, Etc.). Unfortunately, coin collectors and dealers had different ideas about what each of these terms represent.

Professional numismatists joined together in the 1970s and established CoinGrading standards. These numismatists now assign grades at key places on the seventy-point scale, using the most regularly utilized numeric points in conjunction with the original adjective grade. The following are the most common coin grades:

1. 1. • (P-1) Poor – Indistinguishable and probably damaged; if used, must have a date and mintmark; otherwise, rather battered.
      • (FR-2) Fair – Nearly smooth, but without the damage that a coin graded Poor often possesses. The coin must have enough detail to be identified.
      • (G-4) Fair – Inscriptions have merged into the rims in some areas, and important elements have been mostly erased.
      • (VG-8) Very Good- A little weathered, but all of the primary design elements are visible, albeit faintly. There is little if any, central detail left.
      • (F-12) Good – The item is very worn, yet the wear is even, and the overall design details stand out clearly. Rims are almost completely isolated from the field.
      • (VF-20) Very Fine – Moderately weathered, with some finer features still visible. The motto or all letters of LIBERTY are readable. Both sides of the coin have entire rims that are separated from the field.
      • (EF-40) Extremely Fine – Gently used; all gadgets are visible, and the most important ones are bold. The finer details are bold and clear, however, light wear may be seen.
      • (AU-50) Uncirculated – Slight evidence of wear on the coin’s design’s high points; may have contact marks; eye appeal should be adequate.
      • (AU-58) Uncirculated Choice – Slight traces of wear, no severe contact marks, almost full mint shine, and great eye appeal.
      • (MS-60) Mint State Basal – Strictly uncirculated; no indication of wear on the coin’s highest points, but an unsightly coin with reduced luster, visible contact marks, hairlines, and other flaws.
      • (MS-63) Mint State Acceptable – Uncirculated, but with contact scratches and nicks, little reduced shine, but otherwise appealing appearance. The strike is weak to average.
      • (MS-65) Mint State Choice – Uncirculated with great mint shine, very little contact blemishes, and exceptional eye appeal. The strike is unusually severe.
      • (MS-68) Mint State Premium Quality – Uncirculated with superb luster, no obvious contact marks to the naked eye, and exceptional eye appeal. The strike is quick and appealing.
      • (MS-69) Almost Perfect Mint State – Uncirculated with perfect brilliance, a sharp and appealing strike, and extremely good eye appeal. A near-perfect coin with minor imperfections in the planchet, strike, and contact markings (seen only under 8x magnification).
      • (MS-70) Mint State Perfect – Under 8x magnification, there are no tiny imperfections discernible; the strike is crisp, and the coin is perfectly centered on a beautiful planchet. Rarely seen on a coin, this coin is bright and whole, with original luster and exceptional eye appeal.

Where To Buy Or Sell 1944 Walking Liberty Half Dollar?

The 1944 Walking Liberty 50-cent coin is available online. You can buy it from Amazon, eBay, and even Etsy. You can also try going to social media. You can use the search feature to find posts that have to do with 1944 50-cent coins.

If you don’t like to buy or sell online, you can go to coin shops, pawnshops, and antique stores. These places allow you to see the actual coin before you buy it. Aside from these places, you can try joining auctions. Auction houses offer some of the rarest 1944 Walking Liberty half dollars.

FAQs

Where is the mint mark on a 1944 Walking Liberty Half Dollar?

The mint mark of the 1944 fifty-cent is on the reverse side of the coin. Depending on the coin, you should be able to find an S or D mint mark on the “7 o’clock direction” of the coin. It should be just to the left of the word “half.”

How much silver is in a 1944 Walking Liberty?

The 1944 Walking Liberty contains 90% silver or 0.3617 oz of actual silver weight.

How much is a 1944 S Walking Liberty half dollar worth?

The 1944 S walking half-dollar is worth $11.50 to $32.50 in circulated condition. Uncirculated 1944 fifty cents can be more expensive. For example, a 1944-P with a grade of MS-68 was sold for more than $100,000 in 2010.