Lot 1596
1921-S Liberty Walking Half Dollar. Obverse stained. A popular key date. The stains look like they can be removed without harming this coin. While the 1921-S half dollar mintage is more than twice that of 1921-D (548,000 very scarce. 208,000) it appears a larger percentage found their way into circulation; Mint States are much scarcer, grade for grade. Collectors discovered this to their consternation early on. In the years since the coin was made, it's fame and value have steadily increased. This is a particularly well made example. Weak areas are few, and include some minor roundness at Liberty's head, and a partial flattening on the tops of the date digits. The hand, on the other hand, still shows the V-shaped split between the thumb and the rest of the fingers.
Radio was the new big thing in America of the early 1920s. Led by Westinghouse company's 1920 and 1921, establishment of four well-financed stations -- located in or near Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago and New York City -- there was a growing sense of excitement as broadcasting activities became more organized. In December, 1921, the Department of Commerce issued regulations formally establishing a broadcast service. Then, in early 1922, the year after of this half dollar, a "broadcasting boom" occurred, as a sometimes chaotic mix of stations, sponsored by a wide range of businesses, organizations and individuals, sprang up, numbering over 500 by year's end.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 5,500.
The Cypress Estate.
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| Realized $16,100 |
