1916 d/s,1917 d/s Walking Lib. Half Dollar mint mark question.
BLUEJAYWAY
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Has there ever been a reason stated for the mm to be located on the obverse for those years? Then, why were they switched to the reverse later on.
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From my understanding----they (mint officials) thought that Weinman's original design with the mintmark on the obverse didn't look right and looked more like a 'die defect'. So, it was moved to the reverse where it was more discreet and looked like an actual mint mark.
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My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Thank you for the info. Since I've not gotten any other responses I will go with this one.
I do not know. Putting the mint mark on the obverse was not unprecedented in (then) recent years, as seen on the St. Gaudens $20 and the Lincoln cent. I can only assume that it was moved for aesthetic reasons.
The 1916 Philly halves had no mint mark on the obverse. The early 1917 ones did also, but later in the year they changed over to the no mint mark on reverse variety. Most people are not aware of that.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
@Overdate ...
Very clever..... I need to get those varieties..... 
Cheers, RickO