US Coins

When you can buy the gold Walking Liberty half dollar

By Paul Gilkes

Published: Oct 11, 2016, 10 AM

The third gold coin in a 2016 Centennial trilogy will be available to order Nov. 17 from the U.S. Mint, when each buyer can begin to place orders for three of the 70,000 available 2016-W Walking Liberty gold half dollars.

Original images courtesy of U.S. Mint.

The coin's weight and fineness in gold is featured on the reverse, above the denomination HALF DOLLAR and below the eagle's feet.

Images courtesy of U.S. Mint.

The Walking Liberty gold half dollar has 135 reeds on its edge, the same number the American Eagle half-ounce gold coin has.

Image courtesy of U.S. Mint.

The 2016-W Walking Liberty gold half dollar is set to go on sale from the U.S. Mint at noon Eastern Time Nov. 17.

The initial issue price will be announced a few days before the official launch date. The issue price will be based on the Mint’s pricing grid for coins containing precious metals. If the spot price of gold stays within the $1,250 to $1,299.99 range, the issue price would be $890 per coin. The coin contains a half-ounce of 24-karat gold.

The Mint has yet to announce mintage and household ordering limits for the 2016-W Walking Liberty gold half dollar, which is the third coin to be issued in 2016 to mark the 100th anniversary of the coins' 1916 introduction in .900 fine silver. Tom Jurkowsky, director of the Mint’s Office of Corporate Communications, said Oct. 11 that production is completed and the struck coins are still being packaged.

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On April 21, the U.S. Mint released the 2016-W Winged Liberty Head gold dime with a product limit of 125,000 coins and household ordering limit of 10 coins. The coin, containing a tenth ounce of 24-karat gold, was offered at $205 each. The product limit was exhausted the same day.

However, during initial order reconciliation in the month that followed, nearly 9,000 coins were returned to inventory, from customer returns because of damage to the coin, packaging or other reasons, or coins that were never shipped because of expired credit cards or other problems encountered with successful order processing.

Mint officials have still not yet decided whether to re-offer the unsold coins from inventory or melt them.

The 2016-W Standing Liberty gold quarter dollar, containing a quarter-ounce of 24-karat gold, went on sale Sept. 8 at $485 per coin. There was a product limit of 100,000 coins and household ordering limit of one coin. The household ordering restrictions were lifted Sept. 21.

Through Oct. 2, sales were reported at 79,367 pieces.

Walking Liberty gold half dollar

Like the gold Winged Liberty Head dime and Standing Liberty quarter dollar, the Walking Liberty gold half dollar is produced at the West Point Mint with what the Mint refers to as a “business strike” finish. The planchets, received from Leach Garner, are burnished with steel media in a solution of mild detergent and surfactant to clean and brighten them before striking.

The coin is 27 millimeters in diameter and 2.2 millimeters thick. The planchets are struck twice with tonnage of 110 tons per strike on a Gräbener press, with the obverse die as the upper or hammer die and the reverse as the lower or anvil die.

The edge exhibits 135 standard-size reeds, the same as on the American Eagle half-ounce gold coins.

1916 Centennial series winding down

The 2016-W Walking Liberty gold half dollar is the third and final release in 2016 to mark the 100th anniversaries of the 1916 Winged Liberty Head dime, Standing Liberty quarter dollar and Walking Liberty half dollar.

COIN HISTORY: Winged Liberty Head dime | Standing Liberty quarter

The anniversary issues are being struck in .9999 fine gold versus their original 1916 composition of .900 fine silver.

The three 2016 coins replicate the original silver versions that sculptor Adolph A. Weinman designed for the dime and half dollar and Hermon A. MacNeil designed for the Standing Liberty quarter dollar.