1947

Production of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar concluded at the Philadelphia Mint in 1947 with a 4,094,000-piece run, marking the final regular issue of Adolph A. Weinman's design before the Franklin Half Dollar took over in 1948. The transition reflected Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross's longstanding preference for a Benjamin Franklin commemoration on circulating coinage, and Weinman's striding Liberty obverse ended its 31-year service quietly without a final-year coinage announcement.

Strike quality on the 1947 Philadelphia issue is generally above the series average. Die preparation by the late 1940s had matured considerably from the early-series practices that produced famously weak strikes on dates like the 1923-S and 1927-S. Liberty's left hand and gown lines come up reasonably crisp on most examples, and eagle reverse detail is typically well rendered. Luster runs from bright frosty to lightly satiny, depending on die state. Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) populations show that the date is plentiful through MS-65 but climbs in scarcity above MS-66. Die marker variation across the Philadelphia 1947 working dies is documented, with consistent obverse field characteristics helping confirm authenticity on any high-grade purchase where premium pricing applies.

For collectors building a final-year representative or completing a date-and-mintmark set, the 1947 Philadelphia is accessible in most grades but commands attention in registry-level condition. The historical weight of being the last Walking Liberty struck at the main facility adds collector interest, although that historical significance has not translated to premium pricing the way it has for some other last-year US coins. Original-roll material from postwar Treasury releases supports the broad availability through MS66, with intact satin luster trading at meaningful premiums over dipped or processed examples at the gem grade levels. For the closing arc of the design and its 1986 American Silver Eagle revival, see the Walking Liberty Half Dollar series history.