Walking Liberty Silver Bars

Walking Liberty Design Silver Bars

The Walking Liberty coin design is one of the most iconic images in the history of American currency. Silver bars bearing the Walking Liberty design carry over an important United States silver tradition. Although the U.S. mint officially stopped producing the Walking Liberty silver half-dollar in 1947, Walking Liberty design silver bars keep production of this historic image alive. The design itself features Lady Liberty walking toward the sunrise with an outstretched arm, symbolizing the hopeful and welcoming American spirit.

Popularity of the Walking Liberty Design

Art historian Cornelius Vermeule called the Walking Liberty design one of the most beautiful coins circulating in the United States. Along with its intricate design, collectors value the Walking Liberty because of its intriguing history. Following Robert W. Woolley’s appointment as the new U.S. Mint director in 1915, the Commission of Fine Arts began a contest encouraging all American designers to submit their designs for a new currency. The winner, Adolph A. Weinman, came forth with the now-famous Walking Liberty.

The image was an immediate success and widely popular. Unfortunately, because Lady Liberty’s design was so intricate, government mints had increasing difficulty ensuring their dies could cast consistently perfect images. The Walking Liberty silver half-dollar remained in circulation between 1916 and 1947. The U.S. Mint replaced the obverse (front) of the coin with a less-intricate Franklin design in 1948. However, the Walking Liberty remained a collector’s favorite and the American Silver Eagle revived this beautiful image in 1986.

The Migrating Mint Mark

Along with its fascinating history and undeniable artistic quality, the Walking Liberty Design also produced changes in official coin production. Due to the intricacy the image required of the die, the U.S. Mint set forth a number of regulations to make sure the image maintained a high quality. Among these regulations was the decision to place the mint mark (a small letter indicating which U.S. mint produced the coin) on the reverse side of the coin.

Designers intended the Walking Liberty design to become the first in decades that challenged this tradition, placing the mint mark beneath Lady Liberty on the front. However, the design was so detailed that officials at the U.S. Mint were afraid the mint mark would seem like an imperfection. Although officials finally decided to place the mint mark on the reverse in the standard format, this set the precedent for certain government mints to begin placing their mark on the front of coins produced in the future.

Walking Liberty Design Silver Bars

Today, investors are seeking out the Walking Liberty coin design on their silver bars. In general, silver bars are increasing in popularity among investors and collectors alike. Their smaller sizes (at 1 and 5 troy oz) provide excellent liquidity. Now that certain mints are producing silver bars with imprints of classic historical coins, collectors and art lovers can also add their own personal style to their precious metals portfolio.

The Highland Mint in Florida now produces these classic Walking Liberty silver bars. Precious metals distributor Silver.com carries them in a variety of sizes. One-ounce silver bars are highly liquid and an excellent choice both for investors looking to the future as well as for entry-level collectors. Both the 1 oz and 10 oz are a sound investment and a popular choice among silver collectors.

Silver.com carries these Walking Liberty silver bars in the same pristine condition in which they left the Highland Mint. These bars are cast with 99.9 percent pure silver. The back of each silver bar verifies this purity with engraved information directly from the Highland Mint itself. These bars celebrate the beauty of Weinman’s design with a high-relief die-cast resembling an American Silver Eagle Proof coin.

Practical Back Pattern

While the front of each silver bar bears this iconic coin and all-important silver information, the back serves its own valuable purpose. The silver bar’s raised criss-cross pattern on the back provides traction and stability. This assists collectors with easy handling and makes for easy stacking when investors decide to put their precious metals into storage.

Silver bars are a popular investment option. The Walking Liberty design in particular increases the silver bar’s value for collectors and investors alike. Seasoned collectors and investors know that the Walking Liberty silver bar is both a secure and an artistic choice. New collectors also favor the liquid 1 oz Walking Liberty silver bar. Enhance your portfolio with this historic silver bar.