Owner Comments:
Circulation strike mintage 24,192,000
Proof Mintage 15,412
Of all of my Walking Liberty Half Dollars, I found this issue to be the most educational and interesting.
The circulation strike mintage is very common and easy to find. Proofs are well struck BUT, it should be noted that 1941 is a VERY interesting year for Proofs in this series. Proofs issued between January and approximately October have the "AW" Monogram missing from the reverse of the coin ((In my "competitive sets" section, I acquired and listed one of these very interesting PROOFS for my collection in PF-64 for viewing -- to see this fabulous coin, see my competitive set entitled "1941 Walking Liberty Proof with no 'AW' Monogram" under sets entitled "Walking Liberty Half Dollars, 1936-1942, Proof Issue (Incl. Varieties)")). The AW monogram was removed by over-polishing of the die.
Later proofs (an approximate 15-20% of the total struck proofs) have a sharp AW monogram. In a letter published in "The Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine" in February 1942, Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock explained the missing monogram: "I wish to say that since these are raised in relief in the die they tend to become softened with each polishing........This particular detail of the design (initials) becomes more faint each time the die is polished. The impressions which you describe must have been made from a die which had been polished several times. There were three reverse half dollar dies used for Proof half dollars in 1941."
This is a very attractive and well struck example of a 1937-S. After looking at quite a few MS-65s, cherrypicking led me to this coin.
This coin has very attractive eye appeal, with frosty mint luster, and is very well struck.
The obverse was almost pristine with a creamy white smooth surface. No hairlines are seen and only a few small superficial contact marks can be seen on the upper portion of Miss Liberty's skirt. Full skirt lines as well a very appreciable separation and split definition on the branch stems and thumb.
The reverse is phenomenal with only two small nicks (on the branch of the Eagle). The Eagle's left leg had most of its feathers which were sharply outlined.