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A Diversification Stategy Walking Liberty Half Dollars An Important Certified Coin Choice 1-800-225-7531 A Guide To The Short And Long Set 1934-1947 DATES & MINTMARKS

One of America's Most Popular 20th Century Rare Coin Choices!

WHY THE WALKER WAS PRODUCED IS MEANINGFUL

The Walking Liberty series replaced the Barber Series in 1916 for two reasons. First, Barbers had been produced for 25 years and as such were no longer protected by statutory lease. Second, the public was putting pressure on the Treasury to produce coins that were an example of "beauty and art to all its citizens". In response the Treasury decided to have an outside contest. The Commission of Fine Arts awarded winning contracts to Adolph Weinman, who designed the Walking Liberty half dollar.

This series of events is important because the Walking Liberty Series (1916-1947) was produced with other magnificent designs of the 20th Century to fulfill the needs of a changing American public. A public that was proud of its accomplishments both at home and abroad.

Mr. Weinman own comments are important: "The design of the half dollar bears a full-length figure of Liberty, the folds of the stars and stripes flying in the breeze as a background, progressing in full stride toward the dawn of a new day, carrying branches of laurel and oaks, symbolic of civil and military glory. The hand of the figure is outstretched in bestowal of the spirit of Liberty. The reverse of the half dollar shows an eagle perched high upon a mountain crag, his wings unfolded, fearless in spirit and conscious of his power. Springing from a rift in the rock is a sapling of Mountain Pine symbolic of America".

The Walking Liberty half dollar was struck from 1916 through 1947. As such, investing falls into two broad areas: The Short Set, meaning all the dates and mint-marks struck between 1941 and 1947 (20 coins in all), and The Long Set, all the dates and mint-marks struck 1934 to 1947 (39 coins in all). I always recommend purchasing only coins graded by PCGS, so to newcomers you can learn more about PCGS with the PCGS Grading Process Video.

REASONS WALKERS MAKE SENSE

1. Look around and you will find all Walking Liberty half dollars in PCGS MS65 are difficult to locate. The PCGS Population Report shows that of the original mintages only 1/10 of 1% have been graded MS65! The reason for this is one of the secrets that become apparent when you study the series. Silver dollar production was halted in 1935. That means the half dollar was the primary workhorse silver coin of this era. It was used extensively in all aspects of commerce and circulated heavily. This means that the small number of mint state examples that survived have great investment potential. Consider that of the millions of Walking Liberty 50¢ produced less than 1 in 1000 could now be graded PCGS MS65!

2. The coin investing public accumulates a position and rarely sells. Only about 10% of coin buyers are active traders. This is something you can exploit in that it means that over time less of these coins will be on the market at any given time.

3. An interesting aspect of the Walking Liberty 50¢ relates to Weinman's trade as a sculptor. Any sculpture produced by him would fetch a high price, yet few people relate this coin to Weinman's professional life. He was a famous designer and if the public is better informed they may realize his sculpture work is unobtainable yet many can own his coin designs.

4. Consider what happens as the United States Mint makes Eagle coins each year, as it has done since 1986. The new Eagle is a bullion coin whose design was taken from the Walking Liberty half dollar. These coins were made to look like the old series because the Mint reasoned that the classic design would be a strong selling strategy.

5. And we have not even considered inflation. The daily news is beginning to talk about the next inflation round. It is easy to see the handwriting on the wall. Higher oil prices, higher commodity prices and a particular uneasiness. The last time we saw sustained inflation coin prices exploded. Will it happen again? No one can say for sure, but if history is any guide it is only a matter of time. The inflationary spiral of the 1970's created lines around this building and pushed prices through the roof.

6. Another compelling factor is the so-called Super IRA, an investment option stopped in the early 1980's. Rare coins were "locked up" in these accounts and taken off the market for decades. With changes now on the table Congress may again allow precious metals and certified rare coins into retirement accounts. Many believe that prices will be pressured higher because these coins won't be seen for decades. The PCGS MS65 Walkers that make up these sets are perfect candidates for this retirement option.

7. The Walking Liberty half series has universal appeal. This is important when considering hard assets because personal appeal is like an independent engine, which drives everyone. The Walker is a silver coin that everyone wants to own because of its history and beauty. Every major auction held in the last 20 years has contained a specific section on the Walking Liberty series simply because of the extensive collector base which evolves around this coin.

8. Even professional dealers overlook the investment opportunities in coinage of the 20th Century. This is the case as dealers across the country search for earlier rarities, overlooking what is right under their noses.

9. The Walker in MS65 is another virtual barometer of the coin business. Any analysis of rare coin prices places much importance on this coin because of its combined rarity and popularity.

10. When recommending rare coin investments the past is used as a tool in considering future price moves. It's not guaranteed but it is a good place to start. The usual counter to this approach is that history is unique. How do you know if similar circumstances will drive prices to the extreme? Actually you don't, but let's consider the old problems still with us, like inflation and wild government spending. Now add two wild cards, the Internet and the fixed PCGS supply and price growth could be right around the corner.

THE ADVANTAGES OF "SET" INVESTING

1. Walkers can be accumulated one at a time with the idea of forming a set. The combined Short or Long Set Approach is an unbeatable because an inherent plan is part of the process. Of course you could purchase the complete set at once, but if you prefer to build one coin at a time, so much the better. The fact that virtually anyone can begin a set adds an advantage to everyone who owns the set. This feature simply creates a larger buying pool and improves the chance of future price movement.

2. When you invest in individual Walkers, with the intention of forming a set, you win in two ways: First, you will get undiscovered better dates at little extra cost. This is true because professionals do not fully understand the rarity of all date and mint-mark combinations. Over time, with the help of the PCGS Population Report, these relationships and their true price differences will become apparent. Until then, you get something for nothing simply because you strive to complete a set. An example will better make my point. The 1944 P and the 1947 P do not cost much more than a common example yet are many times more difficult to locate. Second, there is something inherently more complete and valuable to sets in general.

3. This set is one of only 2 significant sets which can be assembled without spending a fortune. When today's investor considers rare coins, the notion of owning a complete set is attractive, but out of the question because of price. This is not the case with the Walker Short and Long Set. The only other meaningful complete set is the 15-piece $2 ½ Indian gold set.

WHAT MAKES A COIN RARE AND VALUABLE

What makes a coin rare and valuable is not its age. Value is defined by condition. In other words how close does the coin come to the condition it was in when it was made? Condition is measured numerically on the Sheldon Scale from 1 to 70 and the higher the number the better the condition and the more desirable the coin. The 4 most used investment grades are MS63, MS64, MS65 and MS66. The MS stands for Mint State and the reason these grades are chosen is because few coins will qualify. Most coins minted went into circulation, became worn and have little investment value. To keep everyone honest, condition is determined by an independent grading service and the finest of these is PCGS (The Professional Coin Grading Service).

A CLOSER LOOK AT PROFIT POTENTIAL

Making money in coins is not a matter of luck. It's the result of principles and techniques I have developed over the past 25 years. The price graph below considers the MS65 Walker Short Set (20 Coins). I include it because it is simple to interpret and study. The price for the Short Set went crazy in 1986 when it sold for $17,500 so you are certainly in the low price portion of the price cycle. This approach is called value investing because there is much more upside than downside.

ALSO CONSIDER THE ADVANTAGES OF THE LONG SET

Notice below that I include an even earlier group of Walkers in my price, date and mintmark selection. Why? Because now that you have read my case for why The Short Set is a solid move I want to share an even more closely guarded area of general rare coin investment. These earlier coins are sometimes called the Long Set and are a natural second step as the new investor completes the later Short Set (1941-1947). The reason you simply don't hear much about the Long Set dates is because nice PCGS certified MS65 examples are rarely seen and highly coveted, yet their prices are surprisingly low, and in some cases even inexpensive relative to their true rarity. Consider these examples only by calling me and checking availability.

WHAT TO DO NOW

You can see by my special report that I'm excited about the possibilities within the Walking Liberty series. Both the Short and Long Set offer unique opportunities to those investors with patience and as I have said, this series is one of my favorites.

1. Get started today while prices are still low and not everyone is considering this undervalued investment. Call me toll free (1-800-225-7531) to discuss which coins are available. The reason I have listed all the coins in both the Short and Long Set is to give buyers a good idea of daily price levels. It does not mean I have every date and mint mark. Like I said, choice examples graded MS65 by The Professional Coin Grading Service and difficult to find. Taking a minute to call me is important because it will give you a chance to ask questions, and it will give me a chance to check available inventory.

2. Of course my usual, better than Risk-Free offer is always in place:  If you believe, as I do, that these 20th Century silver coins are true sleepers and can generate profits call toll free 1-800-225-7531 and place that order. You will receive hand selected, premium quality PCGS MS65 examples which I have choosen for exceptional eye appeal. We also pay shipping and insurance and your complete satisfaction is guaranteed. If you are not 100% delighted simply return the coins within 7 days for a complete refund. Thanks for reading and good luck on your new silver investment.

Copyright © 2010 CNI, Inc.- The Walker Report