1896-S Double Eagle – Strike, Eye Appeal, and Rarity in High Grades
The level of eye appeal is above average. While some are weakly struck and many are “baggy,” there are enough well struck pieces with good luster and decent surfaces to satisfy collector demand.
The 1896-S is very common in all grades up to and including MS62, and it is seen from time to time in MS64 with 477 coins seen by PCGS and NGC combined through 2022. Gems are extremely rare, as I know of just six examples in MS65. The finest known to me is a superb PCGS MS67.