Expert: PAPAJACK - 4/4/2007

Question
I recieved this coin 12 years ago as payment for gas in a gas station and I cannot find a mint mark on it anywhere! Where would I find one? The only mark I can find on it is what looks like a W on the back under the wing and just passed where it says half dollar. This is not a scratch. I can send pics if you want. Thanks in advance!

Answer
Hello Karlyn,    

The first and only mint in the USA for many years was at Philadelphia. All coins were made there and no mint mark was required. Only after the branch mints opened was there a need for the letter designation for a mint.

This coin was made at three mints from 1916 to 1947. And in 1917 the mint mark (if any) was moved from the front, as it was in 1916 to the back of the coin and remained there.
Look for a mint mark letter on the front below the R in Trust. Or Look for a mint mark letter on the reverse near the rim below the branch on the left before the word HALF near the rim.  
The letter you see under the tip of the wing feathers is a monogram (AAW  with the AA superimposed on the W) for the medalist design artist A. A. Weinman.

If you need more information on the coin feel free to write again and let me know if there is a mint mark on the front or back.

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Thank You and Good Luck

PapaJack