1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar Value
A 1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar is worth roughly $14.50 to $330 depending on its condition, and its metal content alone is worth $13.20 as of 2026-06-01 Where your coin lands depends on wear, strike and surface quality.
1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar value by grade
| Grade | Estimated value |
|---|---|
| Melt value floor(metal content, 2026-06-01) | $13.20 |
| Good (G-4) | $14.50 to $21.50 |
| Very Good (VG-8) | $16.50 to $24.00 |
| Fine (F-12) | $18.50 to $27.00 |
| Very Fine (VF-20) | $22.00 to $32.00 |
| Extremely Fine (XF-40) | $28.00 to $41.50 |
| About Uncirculated (AU-50) | $38.00 to $56.00 |
| Mint State (MS-60) | $56.00 to $82.50 |
| Choice Unc (MS-63) | $90.00 to $132 |
| Gem Unc (MS-65) | $224 to $330 |
Estimated retail range, updated 2026-06-15. Estimates are modeled from mintage rarity and metal content, not auction records. Actual sale prices vary with certification, eye appeal and market timing.
What is the 1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar selling for today?
At the entry level, well-worn examples bring about $14.50. The same coin in gem uncirculated condition is a $330 coin. Grade is everything: two examples of the 1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar can differ in price by an order of magnitude based purely on preservation.
1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar specifications
- Series
- Walking Liberty Half Dollar
- Year
- 1938
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- 4,110,000
- Composition
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 12.5 g
- Diameter
- 30.6 mm
- Edge
- Reeded
- Designer
- Adolph A. Weinman
- Silver content
- 0.36169 troy oz
Mintage figure: US Mint reports (approximate).
No mint mark? Here is why
Philadelphia struck the 1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar, and Philadelphia coins of this period carry no mint mark at all. An empty space at the usual mint mark position (On the obverse below IN GOD WE TRUST (1916-1917) or on the reverse at lower left near the rim (1917-1947)) confirms a Philadelphia strike, not a flaw.
What makes the 1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar valuable
A mintage of 4,110,000 makes the 1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar moderately available, though it is noticeably tougher than the bulk dates of the series, particularly in higher grades.
Every 1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar contains 0.3617 troy ounces of pure silver, currently worth $13.20. That intrinsic value is a hard floor under the price: no matter how worn the coin, the silver inside cannot be graded away.
Context adds the final layer to the 1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar. Mint revived its obverse for the American Silver Eagle bullion coin in 1986. Owning this date means owning a piece of that story, and demand for the series as a whole sustains liquidity for every issue in it.
Summary: the 1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar is valued between $14.50 and $330 as of 2026-06-15. Estimates combine mintage rarity, key-date status and metal content; they are editorial guidance, not an offer to buy.