Walking Liberty half dollars continue to be on collectors' and dealers' want lists.

If there is a trend, it is that there is strength in just-miss grades, such as About Uncirculated 58, Mint State 62 and MS-64, while MS-65 examples prove a tougher sell in many cases.

For rare issues, such as the 1921-S half dollar, finding a fantastic AU-58 even at the Coin Values price of $12,000 is a challenge.

Buyers are showing an increasing willingness to pay exceptional money for a beautiful AU-58, a just-miss Brilliant Uncirculated coin that may possess more visual appeal and charm than an MS-62 coin.

An MS-62 coin is found frumpy much more often than it is found pretty, so a wide variance in prices is often realized in this grade.

Two recent Heritage auctions show how bidders are prepared to pay more for MS-62 Walking Liberty half dollars that approach MS-63 appeal.

At the Heritage auction on Aug. 1, a nearly brilliant 1918-D Walking Liberty half dollar graded MS-62 by Numismatic Guaranty Corp. sold for $2,185. In contrast, a toned example graded MS-62 by Professional Coin Grading Service sold in a Sept. 10 Heritage auction for $1,495.

Walking Liberty half dollars do not frequently exhibit exuberant toning, and the market seems to display a preference for brilliant, untoned examples.

Collectors continue to gravitate to the short set of 1941 to 1947 issues as a nice Mint State set they can still put together for less than $1,000. An impressive presentation, it is a fun collecting challenge that is easy for dealers to promote, with no individually rare coins.

The key to the short set is the 1941-S coin, which becomes expensive at $1,000 in MS-65, but in MS-64 is $250.

To a lesser extent, the 1942-S, 1943-S, and 1944-S coins are among the more difficult issues to find and can show some price swings as demand ebbs and flows among short-set builders.

Early Walking Liberty half dollars are also eliciting attention right now, with the tougher San Francisco Mint issues, including the 1923-S, 1927-S, 1928-S, 1929-S, and 1933-S coins, finding eager buyers.

But again, these buyers are discriminating and paying full retail only for great coins.