The United States Mint is selling the much-anticipated 2016-W Walking Liberty Centennial 1/2 Ounce Gold Coin beginning at noon ET today, Nov. 17. This collectible appears 100 years after the original Walking Liberty half-dollar debuted, and it is the last of three gold coins for this year to celebrate designs issued in the 1916 renaissance of American coinage.
Unlike its century-old predecessor with its composition of 90% silver and 10% copper, the centennial edition is in .9999 fine 24-karat gold. Its one-half ounce weight is symbolic of the coin’s denomination, as is its business strike.
Here’s a table comparing specifications between the original silver half-dollar and the gold half-dollar:
| 1916-1947 50c Walking Liberty | 2016 50c Gold Walking Liberty | |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | 90% silver; 10% copper | 99.99% Gold |
| Weight | 0.36169 silver troy oz. plus 0.04018 copper troy oz. (12.5 grams) | 0.5000 troy oz. (15.552 grams) |
| Diameter | 1.206 inches (30.63 mm) | 1.063 inches (27.00 mm) |
| Thickness | 0.070 inches (1.80 mm) | 0.085 inches (2.16 mm) |
| Edge | Reeded | Reeded |
| Production Facility(s) | Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco | West Point |
Last Release in 2016 Centennial Gold Coins
The U.S. Mint back in April released its gold Mercury dime, the first of the three 2016 centennial gold coins. Priced at $205; limited to a mintage of 125,000 coins; and restricted to sales of 10 coins per household, it went on back order after about 20 minutes and it became unavailable after around 40 minutes. Its latest sales are 116,096 coins. The U.S. Mint is yet to announce what it’s going to do with the remaining around 8,900 coins.
Then in September, the U.S. Mint issued the second centennial coin, the gold Standing Liberty quarter. It has a lower mintage of 100,000 but costs more (currently $460). The quarter’s initial household ordering limit of one coin is no longer in affect. Its latest sales are 80,633.
Price, Ordering, Mintage and Limits
The U.S. Mint’s collections of numismatic gold coins have prices that can change weekly depending on the trending value of gold and its pricing schedule. The gold Walking Liberty half-dollar will debut at $865.
Those interested in the new coin can order one on release straight from the U.S. Mint’s website. The coin’s product page is right here. Place phone orders at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
No more than 70,000 will be sold. There is an initial household ordering limit of 3 coins.
Update (Nov. 18): The U.S. Mint at 12:18 p.m. ET said first day sales reached 43,728 coins.
Update (Nov. 22): Four-day sales hit 46,956 coins according to the latest U.S. Mint sales data.
