Walking Liberty Gold Coin Production Has Begun

By Hubert Walker for CoinWeek ….

U.S. Mint shares latest pictures with CoinWeek

Michael White, of the United States Mint’s Office of Corporate Communications, has confirmed that production of the 2016 Walking Liberty Centennial Gold Coin began almost two weeks ago on September 9. As with all other gold coins produced by the U.S. Mint, the Walking Liberty gold coin is being manufactured at the West Point Mint and bears a “W” mint mark.

There is no word currently on when the coins will be available for order. According to the Mint’s online product schedule, a release date has yet to be determined.

There is likewise no mintage limit or household order limit set at the time of writing. Mintage and order limits for hotly anticipated collector coins such as the 2016-W Walking Liberty inspire much debate on collector forums and hobby news and information websites due to the Mint’s recent history of rapid “sellouts” and the feeling among some collectors that the internet-based order system tends to favor dealers and speculators at the expense of the average collector.

In the meantime, we present some images of the new coin as shared with us by Michael White and the U.S. Mint:

Obverse, 2016 Walking Liberty Half Dollar Centennial gold coin.
Base Image courtesy Michael White and United States Mint

Reverse. Base Image courtesy Michael White and United States Mint

Some of the 135 reeds on the edge of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar gold coin.
Base Image courtesy Michael White and United States Mint

The Walking Liberty 100th Anniversary gold coin will be the last of three centennial gold coins issued this year.

The first, the 2016 Mercury Dime Centennial gold coin, honors the 100th anniversary of the first Mercury dimes, minted in 1916. The dime’s original design by Adolph A. Weinman serves as the basis for the new coin. Contemporary additions to the design include the West Point (“W”) mintmark and the AU/gold markings listed as AU 24K 1/10 OZ. under the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. Both features are found on the reverse.

The gold Mercury dime measures close to the same width as a regular Mercury dime (16.5 millimeters compared to the original’s 17.9) even though it contains one-tenth an ounce of gold – a symbolic nod to the dime’s 10-cent denomination.

With a maximum mintage of 125,000 and a household order limit of 10, the coin was released April 21 and became “Unavailable” on the Mint’s website within an hour. As of September 18, sales for the 2016 Mercury gold coin total 116,096. It is still listed as Unavailable.

The second issue, the 2016 Standing Liberty Quarter Centennial gold coin, commemorates sculptor Hermon A. MacNeil’s original design depicting Lady Liberty standing within a gate or the opening to a wall or enclosure. Much like the Mercury dime centennial, the 2016 Standing Liberty is an adaptation of MacNeil’s design; differences include the “W” mint mark and inscriptions for the metal, purity and weight (1/4 OZ).

The Standing Liberty gold coin went on sale September 8. First-day sales were strong (47,884 pieces), but thanks to the higher retail price and a household order limit of one, not even half of the relatively high 100,000 mintage limit had been bought. As of September 18, collectors have ordered 54,876 pieces – though sales will probably begin to increase after the Mint’s decision to eliminate the Standing Liberty’s household order limit effective as of Wednesday, September 21.

The third issue, the 2016 Walking Liberty Centennial gold coin, will honor sculptor and medallist Adolph A. Weinman’s iconic Liberty Walking design, found on the original Walking Liberty half dollar (1916-1947) and later on the obverse of the American Silver Eagle (1986-present). It will include the “W” mint mark, as well as the AU/gold inscriptions of AU, 24K, and 1/2 OZ.
The diameter of the coins is 27 mm, and the thickness is measured at 2.2 mm.