Owner Comments:
1944 Walking Liberty Half Dollar - Mintage: 28,206,000
From NGC Coin Explorer
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The Philadlelphia Mint's output of half dollars during 1944 fell to nearly half of that the previous year. Quality control was not a high priority during the war years, and many of these coins are found poorly struck from very worn and distorted dies. Nevertheless, gems are common through MS-66, but collectors will want to shop around for a piece that was well struck from fresh dies.
There are no true varieties for 1944(P) half dollars, but some may be found with the "No AW" die state in which the designer's monogram has been polished off the reverse die.
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In the early 1960's, my Grandfather started a tradition of giving each of his grandchildren 3 Silver Dollars for Christmas. This continued for many years and as the oldest of all of my siblings and cousins, I benefited the longest from his generosity. I never really thought very much about where these coins came from until he passed away.
My Grandfather died late in 1973, but it wasn't until mid 1974 that we realized just how many coins he had stashed away in the attic of the family home. Being the oldest child, my father was the executor of the will and with me being the only serious coin collector in the family, I was given the task of dividing the entire coin hoard equitably between my Father, and his three siblings. There were at least 500 each of silver dollars, half dollars, quarters and dimes. Several thousands coins in total, the hoard included:
- Morgan and Peace Dollars
- Barber, Walking Liberty, and Franklin Half Dollars
- Barber, Standing Liberty, and Washington Quarters
- Barber, Winged Liberty, and Roosevelt Dimes
- Two $5 and One $10 Gold coins
All of the dimes, quarters, and half dollars were probably obtained from pocket change because the majority of the dates were between 1930 and 1964 and the earlier dates were very well worn. The dollars were primarily Morgan and I think many were obtained during trips to Las Vegas in the 1950's and 60's.
From a numismatic perspective, nearly all were common dates but there were a few interesting coins. Most notable were a 1915 Barber Half (which I still have) and a 1921 D Walking Liberty Half (which I do not have). My father decided that we should keep the best of each date/mint from his quarter of the hoard and sell off the rest. Some were sold at a slight premium over melt, but most were sold in bulk for their silver value. I wish we hadn't done that, but that was long ago and not my decision.
From a numismatic perspective, MS64 is nothing special. I had hoped it would make it to at least MS65, but alas, that was not to be. As a piece of family history however, it was worth having it graded.
Date acquired: 5/1/1974 (raw coin)
Date graded: 6/15/2021 (self submitted)
Rev. 7/1/2021