Ned Ludd Coins » 1943 Half Dollar Value: are “D”, “S”, No mint mark worth money?

1943 Half Dollar Value: are “D”, “S”, No mint mark worth money?

Also known as the Walking Liberty half dollar, the 1943 half dollar is undoubtedly one of the few coins still sought after by coin collectors today. So, if you’re looking to exchange one in your possession and need to figure out how much it would fetch you, this read is for you.

The 1943 half-dollar is made of 90% silver and is valued at $7 at the time of writing this article. However, this price isn’t set in stone as the coin’s condition will determine how much higher you could sell it for.

In addition to ensuring you get the full value of your 1943 dollar, we will also ensure you mint mark varieties for this coin and their role in pushing up the price of the walking Liberty half dollar.

1943 Half-Dollar Details

1943 Half-Dollar Details
Image Credit: usacoinbook
  • Category: Walking Liberty Half Dollar
  • Total Mintage: 53,190,000
  • Obverse Designer: Adolph A. Weinman
  • Reverse Designer: Adolph A. Weinman
  • Edge: Reeded
  • Diameter: 30.6mm
  • Thickness: 1.8mm
  • Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
  • Weight: 12.5g

Let’s begin by exploring the intricate details of the walking Liberty half dollar. To make it easy to follow, we’ll divide this section into the obverse and the reverse side (heads and tail).

The Obverse

Beginning with the obverse side of this coin, you will see a portrait of Liberty. She’s clothed in a flowing dress extending to her knees, the American flag over her shoulder, and her right hand pointing forward toward the rising sun. This symbolizes freedom; from the portrait, it is apparent there is wind in the background.

Also, Liberty strikes a walking pose and faces the edge of the 1943 half-dollar canvas. A branch of oak and laurel is in her hands, representing America’s Military and Civil glory.

Other details present on the obverse of the 1943 half-dollar include;

  • The Slogan “Liberty”
  • The Inscription “1943” and
  • Unfolded Stars

The Reverse

On the reverse of this coin, the American bald Eagle in all its glory is here. Here the Eagle’s stance is quite majestic, its wings spread and resting on a rock; this represents the fearless and unrivaled power of the American spirit.

In addition, this iconic Eagle holds a mountain pine sapling in its right talon, and the words “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” the U.S. motto, which means “out of many, one” is written just above the talon. Other inscriptions you will find on the reverse include the words;

  • Half Dollar (located on the lower rim of the reverse) and
  • United States of America (the upper rim of the reverse)

1943 Half Dollar Value

Mint Mark

Good

Fine

Extremely Fine

Uncirculated

1943 No Mint Mark Half Dollar Value $17 $20 $24 $42-$59
1943 “D” Mint Mark Half Dollar Value $17 $20 $24 $58
1943 “S” Mint Mark Half Dollar Value $17 $20 $24 $51-$70

1943 Half Dollar Variety Guide

There are three varieties of the half dollar, and to correctly determine the value of each one, we’ve put together this section. Here you’ll learn the reason for the different varieties and how their condition affects their value in the coin market.

1943 No Mint Mark Half Dollar Value

1943 No Mint Mark Half Dollar Value
Image Credit: ebay
  • Type: Walking Liberty Half Dollar
  • Edge: Reeded
  • Mint mark: None
  • Place of minting: Philadelphia
  • Year of minting: 1943
  • Face value: $0.50
  • Dollar price: $17 – $59
  • Melt Value: $7.7041
  • Quantity produced: 53,190,000
  • Designer: Adolph A Weinman
  • Mass: 12.5 grams
  • Diameter: 30.6 mm
  • Composition: 90% Silver – 10% Copper

With just a little over 53 million Philadelphia walking Liberty half-dollar series produced, it is obvious that the bulk of these coins was minted in the Philadelphia mint. These stand for about two-thirds of the total walking liberty half-dollar series.

Also, since the Philadelphia mints didn’t mark its coin back in 1943, mint marks are absent on these coins. A typical coin in good condition will earn you around $17, and a coin in mint condition can go as high as $59.

Currently, a no-mint mark MS68 grade is valued at $25,000, and there is also an auction record of an MS 68+ grade selling for as high as $120,000. So, it’s obvious the grade of the coin matters a lot in determining its price.

1943 “D” Mint Mark Half Dollar Value

1943 “D” Mint Mark Half Dollar Value

  • Type: Walking Liberty Half Dollar
  • Edge: Reeded
  • Mint mark: “D”
  • Place of minting: Denver
  • Year of minting: 1943
  • Face value: $0.50
  • Dollar price: $17 – $70
  • Melt Value: $7.6969
  • Quantity produced: 11,346,000
  • Designer: Adolph A Weinman
  • Mass: 12.5 grams
  • Diameter: 30.6 mm
  • Composition: 90% Silver – 10% Copper

Coins minted in the Denver mint were produced in the least quantity, and several are still available in the mint state up to gem grades. About 11 million of these coins were produced.

To locate the mint mark, turn to the coin’s reverse; it is below the olive branch, close to the coin’s rim.

Coins with the Denver mint mark that are in good condition are valued at $17, with the uncirculated ones costing even more, $70. There are records of a grade MS68n that sold in November 2006 for $51,175.

1943 “S” Mint Mark Half Dollar Value

1943 “S” Mint Mark Half Dollar Value

  • Type: Walking Liberty Half Dollar
  • Edge: Reeded
  • Mint mark: “S”
  • Place of minting: San Francisco
  • Year of minting: 1943
  • Face value: $0.5
  • Melt Value: $7.6969
  • Dollar price: $17 – $78
  • Quantity produced: 13,450,000
  • Designer: Adolph A Weinman
  • Mass: 12.5 grams
  • Diameter: 30.6 mm
  • Composition: 90% Silver – 10% Copper

Although walking liberty half dollar coin pieces from the year 1943 in good condition are worth the same price as those from Philadelphia and Denver, the value of these coins minted in the San Francisco mint increase in value if found in pristine condition. This is because many of the ones in circulation have several of their elements fading or completely fading.

Exactly 13,450,000 of these coins were produced in 1943. On the 16th of June 2021, an MS67+ grade 1943 walking Liberty half-dollar coin was sold for $66,000.

1943 Half Dollar History

The 1943 half-dollar story begins in April 1915 and spans from 1916 –1947. It started when the new mint director of the United States, Robert W. Wooley decided that he was required and allowed by law to change the design of coins that had been used for at least 25 years.

However, who was worthy of being the designer of the half dollar coins? At first, Wooley reached out to engraver Barber (Chief Engraver of the United States Mint) to create new designs for the coins; when Barber met with the Commission of Fine Arts on the 3rd of December that same year, the designs he submitted on behalf of the Mint were rejected.

For this reason, Adolph Weinman, Hermon MacNeil, and Albin Polasek, all sculptors, were contacted to submit proposals for the new coin design. The coins whose designs needed changing were the quarter, the dime, and the half dollar, and each of these sculptors was allowed to submit multiple designs.

After submitting their designs in mid-February, meeting with Wooley and the Commission to answer questions and make presentations, five of Weinman’s designs were chosen. He was to sculpt designs for the dime, half dollar, and the quarter’s reverse.

Although tonsillitis and personal dislike of how the word “LIBERTY” appeared on the coin’s obverse delayed the release of the walking Liberty silver dollar, the battle was far from over.

When testing companies uncovered that the coin couldn’t function with vending machines due to excess fin excess metal at the coin’s edge, mass production of the walking liberty half dollar was pushed back further.

There was a need to reduce the size and relief of Liberty’s image to solve this issue. After applying this remedy, however, the issue was still present; hence Joyce (the Philadelphia Mint Superintendent) allowed Barber to shrink the coin’s design.

Barber added a beaded border in the rim, increased the distance of the design from the coin’s edge, and inserted a wide space between the design and the rim. However, this made the design dull.

Before this design could be struck on coins and pushed out for circulation, the Philadelphia mint superintendent stopped the process and sighted Barber’s modifications as unnecessary. He pointed out that it was possible to achieve coin designs similar to Weinman’s by reducing the relief of the design and adjusting the force the Mint press used to strike the planchets.

This motion stood and was adopted. When the mints finally released the 1943 half dollar to the public, it was reported that the three Mints (San Francisco, Denver, and Philadelphia) had a hard time meeting the demand for the half dollar even though its release into society was not overly publicized.

1943 Half Dollar Grading

1943 half-dollar coins are graded on a scale of good, fine, extremely fine, and uncirculated. Those in the uncirculated category have the most value. To determine where on the grading scale your coin fits, look for dents to the rims of the coin, legibility of the inscription “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and wear to the Lady Liberty.

List of 1943 Half Dollar Errors

Although finding an error coin is like finding a needle in a haystack, you will surely get a good price for the value of any 1943 half-dollar with an error. Here we’ve compiled the common errors of the 1943 half-dollar.

1. 1943 Half Dollar struck on a Peru 1/2 Sol Planchet Error

1943 Half Dollar struck on a Peru 1/2 Sol Planchet Error
Image Credit: coins.ha

Striking coins for other countries was common for U.S. Mints. When traced to its cause, this error occurred because some Half Sol Planchet was struck by dies used in producing Half dollar coins in the San Francisco Mint. Off-planchet errors of this type are extremely rare, six of these errors are valued as high as $82,500.

2. 1943 Half Dollar struck on a quarter planchet Error

Quarter planchet errors are caused by the mistake of the die striking the quarter planchet instead of the half-dollar planchet. Human factors and similarity in the planchets for these two coins are attributed to be the cause of this error.

3. 1943 Half Dollar struck on a El Salvador 25 centavos planchet Error

1943 Half Dollar struck on a El Salvador 25 centavos planchet Error

Like the Peru ½ Sol Planchet error, the El Salvador 25 centavos planchet error was caused by the striking of Half dollar dies on El Salvador 25 centavos planchets. Errors of this nature are valued at $15,000 per piece.

4. 1943 Half Dollar Off-center strike Error

Another common Half Dollar error is the off-center strike error. This error is common to many US mints, and it occurs when the die strikes the coin at an off angle from the center. When dealing with errors like this, the coin’s value depends on the percentage difference of the error from the center of the coin; typically, this is between 5 – 95%.

5. 1943 Half Dollar Double Die Error

1943 Half Dollar Double Die Error

This error occurs when a die strikes a 1943 Half dollar more than once. When this occurs, the coin will have shifted position just slightly before receiving the second strike. A close examination of the letters, numbers, and features on the bald Eagle is necessary to identify this error.

6. 1943 Half Dollar Lamination Error

1943 Half Dollar Lamination Error

When any foreign material gets into the copper and silver mixture, it could produce a lamination error, and this can cause the planchet to peel or crack easily.

1943 Half Dollar FAQs

How do you tell if a half dollar is made from real silver?

To know if a half dollar is made from real Silver, you only need to examine the edge of the coin. If made from real Silver, the edge would have a solid Silver stripe; however, if you notice a copper stripe on the coin’s edge, only its outer layer is Silver.

What year of half dollars are rare?

The rarest half dollars were those produced in Philadelphia in 1938 and the New Orleans mint in 1938.

1 thought on “1943 Half Dollar Value: are “D”, “S”, No mint mark worth money?”

  1. I have a 1943 walking lady liberty with no mint mark that is uncirculated…how do I go about getting someone to help grade it

    Reply

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