Production of Walking Liberty half dollars was sporadic in the 1920s, and just over 1 million 1929-D half dollars were struck.

The featured coin — graded Mint State 67+ with a green Certified Acceptance Corp. green sticker — is the sole finest example of the tougher Denver Mint issue graded by Professional Coin Grading Service. It features rich rainbow toning at the right obverse and some color clinging to the rims of the reverse, along a strong strike. It sold for $82,250 in Las Vegas, well-above the expectations of $60,000 to $70,000. 

Inside Coin World: Civil War token with a macabre scene: Columns exclusive to the Oct. 22 issue of Coin World focus on Death to Traitors, notgeld, and superclashes.

The offered half dollar appears to be the same coin that was recently offered at Heritage’s April 2018 Central States Numismatic Society auction, where it was then-graded PCGS MS-67 with a green CAC sticker and sold for $44,400. In comparing pictures of coin at the recent Legend offering and the Heritage sale, the two coins share a distinctive toning break at the OF on the reverse, along with two small darker toning spots around 3 o’clock relative to the reverse.

Back in April it was one of only two like-graded coins at PCGS. The recent addition of the plus sign has made it the sole finest-known representative, adding demand from registry set collectors seeking only finest-known representatives.

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