“A coin collection without the Walking Liberty is not an avid collector’s collection.” - Someone wise.
However, if you are a novice, the 1941 half dollars are the ideal choice since they have relatively high mintage and are widely available. That leaves us with the most important question
Before deciphering the 1941 half dollar value, let’s get you acquainted with the coin specifications.
| Obverse | Lady Liberty walking in front of the rising sun, draped in the national flag, and holding the oak and laurel branches in her hand. Inscriptions are: “LIBERTY. IN GOD WE TRUST. 1941.” |
| Reverse | American Bald eagle in a striking pose perched on a mountain with pine saplings to the left. Inscriptions are: “UNITED STATES OF Reverse American Bald eagle in a striking pose perched on a mountain with pine saplings to the left. Inscriptions are: “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. E PLURIBUS UNUM. HALF DOLLAR.” |
| Designer | Adolph A. Weinman |
| Dimensions | 30.63 mm x 1.8 mm |
| Metal Weight | Metal Weight 11.25 g (0.36169 troy ounces) |
| Face Value | Fifty cents ($0.50) |
| Minted In | Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco |
| Total Mintage | 43,553,812 |
| Purity | 90% Silver – 10% Copper |
When talking about does the 1941 half dollar have any value, well, firstly, it does. Secondly, there are three major factors that influence the value: Mintmark, error, and condition (grades).
Let’s begin with the conditions:
The Uncirculated (BU/MS) condition of coins are the ones that never left the mint. These coins are preserved in ideal condition, however, the wear of decades can be seen. Even though, once appraised or professionally graded, they inherit the same luster of its prime years. This condition coins fetch the most value in the market.
The uncirculated coins on the grading scale are designated from MS60 and above.
The Extremely fine (XF) condition coins are also graded and often depicted as Almost uncirculated (AU). these coins were in circulation but for a very short span. Furthermore, they carry very minimal wear less likely to be visible with the naked eye.
The extremely fine to AU condition are graded from 40 to 50 on the grading scale.
Unlike the extremely fine condition, the Fine condition have visible but miniml wear and damage on the coin. The fine condition coins have been circulated for a considerable amount of time and have experienced the corresponding wear. These are relatively priced less than other conditions.
The Good condition, with no disrespect to it, is the worst condition of the four. These coins are more likely to fetch prices closer to the face value. However, if you have highly rare coin, then condition won’t necessarily make a huge difference.
The half dollars lacking the mint marks are struck in the Philadelphia facility of the US Mint. The mint struck a total of 24,192,000 coins in 1941. The circulated 1941 no mintmark half dollar value is around $17 to $50, while the uncirculated coins can go from $55 to $675 for higher grades.
Astonishingly, the higher grades like MS68 and MS68+ can have auction values as high as $57,500!
The Philadelphia Mint also produced the proof versions of the 1941 half dollars, especially for the collectors. These proof coins were finely struck depicting highlight and design of the coin with utmost sharpness. A total of 15,412 proof coins were minted from which the coins from PR50 to PR68 rated proof coins have values from $155 to $10,000.
That’s not all! The stunning PR69 graded coin has an estimated value of $45,000 but the auction winner bought it at $27,600 (November, 2005).
The mintmark of the half dollar is present on the reverse right below the rock panned to the right of the coin. The “D” mintmark is for the coins minted at the Denver facility of the US Mint. The Denver mint struck a total of 11,248,400 coins and have considerably moderate pricing.
The circulated variations have prices between $17 and $50, while the uncirculated examples can go from $55 to $1,075. Going higher on the grading scale, the MS68 graded half dollar value is estimated to be around $35,000, however, one of the coins was sold at Heritage Auctions at $36,000 in August 2022.
The “S” mintmark is inherited by the coins struck at the San Francisco facility of the US Mint. Among the three, this mint had the lowest mintage of only 8,098,000 coins. The lower the mintage, the higher the price!
The circulated 1941 S half dollar value is from $17 to $90 and the uncirculated coins have much higher value going up to $15,000 depending on the grade. The MS67 and above coins have prices starting from $40,000.
One stunning November 2006 auction displayed the sell of a 1941 S half dollar with MS67 grade at a staggering $90,850.
Now to the third influencing factor on the 1941 half dollar value are the rare errors. Errors are considered as manufacturing defects that give out a disoriented look to the coin, which increases its value drastically.
Here are the 5 best rare errors on the 1941 half dollars, you need to look out for:
The half dollar depicts the initials of the designer, Adolph Weinman as “AW.” Some of these coins lack the initials when they were released for circulation. The initials not being present at their usual place, which is below eagle’s tail feathers, was stated to be because of over-polishing and negligence.
The coins with this error became a collectible fetching values of around $2,280 for the proof finished half dollars.
Slag inclusion is a error that is technically not a manufacturing defect. It occurs when a foreign object gets stuck between the dies and planchant leaving a mark called slags. The slags then become part of the design, which in this case, is a imperfection on the obverse towards the right of the coin.
If you have a 1941 half dollar with the slag inclusion error, you can expect to get about $250 for each.
The Re-punched mintmark (RPM) as the moniker, means either D or S mintmarks coins have double struck mintmarks. To spot the error, you would need to use a magnifying glass or a microscope in some cases.
The circulated 1941 half dollars with repunched mintmark can be worth from $60 to $80, while the uncirculated coins have a price range of $180 to $1,080 specifically the one’s struck in the San Francisco Mint.
Going higher on the grading scale, the MS65 graded coins would cost around $2,585, while the MS67 graded repunched “D” was sold at $1,700.
This sounds like more of a silly error, where a half dollar is struck on a 25Cent planchet. If the design is cut off along the rim, meaning it was minted on the 25 cent planchet. With this error, the inscription of LIBERTY is completely cut off and becomes unrecognizable along with the top part of Liberty’s head.
The half dollar struck on a 25C planchet can be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.
The reverse with the eagle, sometimes has missing feathers due to aggressive or hyper polishing. This error is mostly observed on the half dollars struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1941.
The graded coins are have values based on their conditions. The MS66 graded half dollars with missing wing feathers are valued from $2,750 to $3,250, while those with grades MS66+ can be valued at $4,113 (Auction price from 2023).
That being said, we believe you are fully equipped to stand your ground at a negotiation for your 1941 half dollar value.
A short synopsis:
The 1941 half dollar can be worth anywhere from $21 to $597 depending on the condition and can go higher. The factors influencing these values are the coin condition, mintmarks and variations, and the errors. There are major 5 errors that can fetch values as high as $4,113.
There you have it, the 1941 half dollar value and its worth today! To get more US Mint’s greatest creation, explore BOLD and find your match!
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