Simple question: what are they? I will be attending the ISNA coin show in a couple weeks and I usually purchase two slabbed keys and a "just for fun," coin. Being as such, I was planning on purchasing at least one Walking Liberty Half key since I am on that set. Question is: do you consider the '16 S and the '38 D as part of the keys or semikeys. I know the trio of '21 are keys, but I feel the sources I have been looking at are yo-yo'ing with some classifying the the other two as keys, others as semikeys. This dimeguy is just looking for simple opinions as to whether I need to consider them as keys or not. Thanks!
'21D (208,000 mintage) and '21 (246,000 mintage) I consider key dates. '21S (548,000 mintage) I consider a semi-key. Same with '38D (491,600), '16S (508,000) and '19 (962,000) ...semi keys.
I can tell you, don't consider that 38d scarce. They're everywhere. A lot of that one was saved. Just make sure you wait that one out and get you a nice one. Those aren't hard to find.
I think grade plays an important part of what is key, semi-key and other. For example, numismedia prices for AU58 show that the key dates include 1919D, but in lower grades (say VF20) it drops down into the semi-key. I am using obviously arbitrary lines between price groups to determine key vs semi-key, so this analysis can be much more rigorous...but I ain't gonna do it for you. AU58 prices... 1916 570 1916 D 600 1916 S 2070 1917 168 1917 D Obv. 750 1917 D Rev. 1160 1917 S Obv. 3450 1917 S Rev. 760 1918 570 1918 D 1560 1918 S 600 1919 1950 1919 D 6210 1919 S 4230 1920 450 1920 D 2460 1920 S 1140 1921 5940 1921 D 8550 1921 S 17100 1923 S 3390 1927 S 1980 1928 S 1650 1929 D 510 1929 S 540 1933 S 510 1934 62 1934 D 138 1934 S 300 1935 42 1935 D 132 1935 S 216 1936 40 1936 D 72 1936 S 100 1937 31 1937 D 126 1937 S 120 1938 66 1938 D 402 1939 34 1939 D 31 1939 S 97 1940 29 1940 S 31 1941 29 1941 D 30 1941 S 53 1942 29 1942 D 30 1942 S 31 1943 29 1943 D 34 1943 S 35 1944 29 1944 D 30 1944 S 30 1945 29 1945 D 29 1945 S 29 1946 29 1946 D 36 1946 S 29 1947 31 1947 D 34 VF20 prices... 1916 180 1916 D 180 1916 S 510 1917 26 1917 D Obv. 180 1917 D Rev. 168 1917 S Obv. 480 1917 S Rev. 63 1918 71 1918 D 127 1918 S 40 1919 300 1919 D 390 1919 S 300 1920 45 1920 D 300 1920 S 115 1921 930 1921 D 1380 1921 S 870 1923 S 210 1927 S 69 1928 S 106 1929 D 41 1929 S 45 1933 S 28 1934 19 1934 D 21 1934 S 20 1935 18 1935 D 20 1935 S 20 1936 17 1936 D 17 1936 S 17 1937 17 1937 D 21 1937 S 17 1938 17 1938 D 86 1939 17 1939 D 17 1939 S 20 1940 12 1940 S 12 1941 12 1941 D 12 1941 S 12 1942 12 1942 D 12 1942 S 12 1943 12 1943 D 12 1943 S 12 1944 12 1944 D 12 1944 S 12 1945 12 1945 D 12 1945 S 12 1946 12 1946 D 14 1946 S 12 1947 12 1947 D 12
In my mind there is mintage rarity and condition rarity with the latter coming into vogue as third-party graders played a larger role in "final word" on once arbitrary grading.
Not sure what the point of having a name for it anyway...call it a key date, a turnip, a rainbow toned turd in the punch bowl, whatever. What is the point?
I picked up a 38D recently just because I thought it looked cheap. I don’t know how nice of one you would be looking for, but F or VF's sure sell for less than they did 10 years ago. Obviously they are readily available.
I won one once for about 20 bucks. I thought yea I can make some money on that. But there's just so many it takes time to sell. Unless you want to buy it cheap. I did sell that one for 50. But I was so tired of looking at it I would leave that hole empty in an album if i was making one lol!
Here the last coin I needed to complete a Walker set the the Wife’s late Grandfather started by pulling coins out of circulation many decades ago.
i like early Walkers in vf; one opinion I ran across years ago listed these as most scarce: 21 P & D; 17S obv; 16S; 19D. runners up include the 21S and 20D.
I have been collecting for many years, and I don't know, but this seems to make so much sense. Seems silly thinking back on it, but the sets I have collected up to this point have all had distinctive keys. For this set, there is a fine point between what I want my collection to look like and what I am willing to pay for it. I fully agree that price should be the distinction, and that helped the most. Thanks!
