Trailing only the 1941-S, the 1942-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar is the scarcest Walking Liberty half dollar "short set" issue in the finest Mint State grades. With a mintage of 12.7 million coins, the 1942-S half dollar is readily available in grades up through MS-65, but becomes incredibly rare at the Superb Gem level. Furthermore, striking quality also presents a significant challenge, as a combination of die fatigue and inconsistent striking pressure resulted in poor detail and inferior luster even on many well preserved examples.

View 1942-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar Auction Results

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in June 2021 as part of the Lulu Collection, the #1 all-time finest PCGS Walking Liberty Half Dollar Short Set, where it realized $60,000.