1912 Barber Half Dollar (Liberty Head)

Philadelphia struck 1,550,700 half dollars in 1912, a year marked by tragedy and change. The RMS Titanic sank in April on its maiden voyage, killing over 1,500 passengers and crew in one of the worst maritime disasters in history. Closer to home, New Mexico and Arizona achieved statehood in January and February, completing the contiguous forty-eight states and closing the chapter on western territorial expansion that had defined much of the nineteenth century.

The 1912 presidential election saw a three-way contest between Taft, Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson. Roosevelt's third-party Bull Moose candidacy split the Republican vote and handed Wilson the presidency. Half dollar production at Philadelphia remained in the moderate range that had characterized the series' late years. The 1912 is available in circulated grades at standard pricing. Good through Fine examples are common, and coins with complete LIBERTY surface regularly. The date is a straightforward acquisition for collectors building the series.