1916 Proof Half Dollar Pattern - J-1994

Coin Details

Description

The primary Walking Liberty half dollar pattern — arguably the single most important American coin pattern of the early twentieth century. Judd-1994 represents the definitive proof striking of Adolph Alexander Weinman's design for the half dollar denomination, the design that would enter production in late 1916 and serve continuously until 1947, totaling over 500 million coins across three decades. The obverse depicts Liberty in full figure, striding confidently toward the rising sun, draped in the American flag with her left arm extended in a gesture of welcome and her right hand carrying branches of laurel and oak. The reverse shows an eagle perched on a rocky crag with wings half-spread, a small mountain pine growing from the rock below — symbolizing American strength rooted in the natural landscape. Weinman, who had been born in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1870 and emigrated to the United States at age ten, trained under Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Philip Martiny before establishing his own practice as one of America's leading sculptors. His dual victory in the 1916 coin design competition — winning commissions for both the dime and the half dollar — was an extraordinary achievement. The Walking Liberty design is widely regarded as the finest American coin design of the twentieth century, rivaled only by the Saint-Gaudens double eagle for the title of the most beautiful American coin ever produced. Its revival on the American Silver Eagle bullion coin in 1986 introduced Weinman's masterwork to a new generation of collectors and ensured its place in the permanent iconography of American coinage. J-1994 captures this legendary design in its purest form: a proof striking from the evaluation dies, before the inevitable compromises of mass production altered Weinman's original artistic vision.

Rarity Notes

R-7 to R-8 (Extremely Rare). The primary Walking Liberty half dollar pattern is one of the most desirable American patterns of any era, commanding exceptional premiums at auction.

Cross References

Judd J-1994, Pollock P-2186