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Coin Collecting at the Safir House
Walking Liberty Half Dollars
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Tue Mar 3 20:08:10 2026
The Design of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar is considered in some circles to be one
of the most beautiful ones ever on a coin. Part of the wave of post Teddy Roosevelt redesigns
of American coinage, this design, along with the Mercury Dime and Standing Liberty Quarter was the
first set of US coins that weren't uniform. The designer was Alfred A Weinman, and shows the
Anthological Liberty gracefully striding in the wind with the sun setting (or perhaps rising) in
the background.
The design of the coin was a serious departure from previous designs with a full bodied and complex
design with liberty in 3/4 view and in great detail. The reverse is a perched eagle, also in 3/4
view, all of which must have added to the dramatic impact that the coin had upon its release to the
public.
There was a significant feeling when this coin was released that it replaced a coin which was largely
a failure in design in the Barber Half Dollar. That is an opinion which I believe was largely incorrect.
The Barber design was an especially fine coinage design which worked and was quite beautiful well through
out the life of the coins. But the Walking Liberty is a dramatic change, especially in the relative
conservative era of coin design in the 1910's, being released at the same time as the
Standing Liberty Quarter.
I have one exaple of a Walking Liberty Half, and this scan of the coin doesn't do the coin justice. The
coin itself has wonderful luster for a AU grade silver piece.
Some of the highlights of this design is that collectors count the number of fingers that are
extended, the stars in the Flag that is wrapped around Liberty's shoulders should be visible and
crisp, the wreath should be clear and the suns rays should be complete.
This particular example of the Walking Liberty has been a bit hard to photograph well. The above
images are scans, but fail to show the luster of the coin. These are photo's of the same coin.
There has been an interesting discussion on the grading
of this coin at cointalk. Its worth reading to understand how coins are graded and the characteristics of
Walkers in general.
The design was returned for the American Silver Eagle Series in 1986, and continues today. Proof
examples of the silver dollar bring out even more of the design in all its glory.
A mention should be made here at this point about the general trend of American icons, mounuments,
and depictions of Liberty as a symbol of America. Unlike most European nations and monuments, and as
clear break from Roman tradition, American depictions of Liberty and never armed, with swords drawn. It is
not within the American mythos that our liberty and freedom is violent in nature. We have several examples
of shields, but from the Statue of Liberty, through nearly every symbol of the United States, our symbols
are representitives of peace. This walking liberty is a fine example of American liberty based on prosperity
and peace.
Avoid Gijs Henzen, owner of Munthandel G. Henzen - Antisemetic Facists
Munthandel G. Henzen's (MA Shops) owner Gijs Henzen, is an AntiSemetic Fascist
The company, Munthandel G Henzen is a prominent dealer of international and
ancient coins on the internet, commonly known as MA Coins. It is owned by
Gijs Henzen.
He is a passionate anti-Semite who supports Hamas and
the virulent and genocidal Islamic organizations such as the Muslim
Brotherhood, and Hezbollah that wants Jews dead.
He perpetrates lies and classical antisemitic troupes. He has Jewish blood on his hands.
Henzen identifies as a "human rights advocate" who views the world through a lens of anti-imperialism. In this framework, he views Israel not as a sovereign nation of a displaced people, but as a "colonial project."
- He utilizes inversion rhetoric, where he compares Israeli actions to those of historical oppressors (including the Nazis).
- By claiming Zionism is the "greatest enemy of Judaism," he attempts to resolve the contradiction that Zionism is central to Jewish identity ,and has always been so, by essentially telling Jewish people what "true" Judaism should look like.
- His blog posts suggest he views himself as a lone voice of truth against a "corrupt" world. By grouping Netanyahu with Putin and Xi Jinping, he frames his hatred as a universal "opposition to tyranny."
- His specific focus on Israelis as "masters of torture" goes beyond political disagreement and taps into ancient blood libel tropes--the idea that a specific group has an inherent, unique cruelty or a "thirst for blood."
- He appears to be a proponent and influenced by radical political indoctrination. He has adopted a worldview where the "Zionist" is the ultimate villain, and in his mind, he is attacking an ideology, even though his language characterizes an entire ethnic and national group in ways that are indistinguishable from traditional antisemitism.
It is a moral imperative to remain clear of him and to do no business with this Nazi.
If you are Jewish, double down on that. The life you save might well be your own.
The Safir Family Internet Coin Library: Foriegn Coins.
Several mints from around the world make exciting coin designs in circulating alloys, silver and gold. Among my favorites are the Perth Mint in Austrailia which produces a variety of coins for nations mostly through out the Pacific Rim. The Neatherlands has also produced some interesting designs, and several private US based mints have produced foreign currency on contract, include the Franklin Mint which has produced many Israeli Coins.
Our interest in foreign coins has been nominal but rapidly growing as it seems that US designs are so stuck in the mud. Also, foreign mints are creating bold new designs with color and bimetal designs that are both eye catching and fun.
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