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The 1947 Walking Liberty Half Dollar was the last one to be minted by the Philadelphia Mint. Considered to be in extra fine condition, the 1947 half dollar contains slight wear on both sides of the coin. The Philadelphia Mint was the first mint to be established in the US so it doesn't mark its coins with a mint-mark. The US desperately needed an identity but also a means to international commerce so the Founding Fathers decided that a national mint was the answer. The Mint Act officially announced the opening of the Philadelphia Mint and also instituted guidelines for the newly minted currency. A dollar decimal system would be used to assign the currency with legal tender values. Also, an emblematic symbol of liberty must be included on US currency, hence why so many adaptations of Liberty have been used.
Lady Liberty has become a muse to US currency, constantly being updated in her appearance on the coinage. Picturing just her portrait became a trend until a German-American sculptor changed the trend forever. When the Mint Director, Robert W. Woolley, was allowed to change the design for the Barber half dollar, quarter, and dime, he opted to turn to the Commission of Fine Arts for a winner. Adolph A. Weinman not only won the competition but walked away with a deal to design both the new half dollar and dime. Weinman desired to portray Liberty as youthful on both coins and her depiction is stunning on the Walking Liberty.