1916 Proof Half Dollar Pattern - J-1797a

Coin Details

Auction Record

$52,900 PR30 08-18-2004 Heritage Auctions

Description

A sub-variety of the J-1797 Walking Liberty half dollar pattern, produced during the 1916 design evaluation that would yield one of the most celebrated coins in American numismatic history. Adolph Weinman's Walking Liberty design features a full-length figure of Liberty striding confidently toward the sunrise on the obverse, draped in the American flag, her left hand extended in a gesture of welcome while her right hand carries branches of laurel and oak symbolizing both civilian and military honor. The reverse depicts an eagle perched on a rocky crag, wings partially spread, with a small pine sapling growing from the rock below. The "a" suffix on J-1797a indicates a compositional or die-state variant of the base J-1797 entry, struck in an alternative metal such as copper to evaluate the design's fine detail without expending silver. Weinman submitted his Walking Liberty design alongside his Mercury dime entry in the 1916 competition, winning commissions for both denominations — an unprecedented achievement that gave a single artist responsibility for two of the three new silver coin designs entering production that year. The Walking Liberty half dollar would remain in production from 1916 to 1947, and its design was revived in 1986 for the American Silver Eagle bullion coin, securing its legacy as one of the most enduring images in American coinage.

Rarity Notes

R-7 (Extremely Rare). Walking Liberty design patterns are exceptionally desirable among collectors.

Cross References

Judd J-1797a, Pollock P-1987a