In 1896, the mintage for double eagles at the Philadelphia Mint was substantially lower than it was in 1894 and 1895. Despite this, the 1896 is still a relatively common issue in MS62 and lower grades.

Expert’s Corner: 1896 Double Eagle

This is a date I don’t typically handle in grades lower than MS63’s, but I do like nice MS63’s, MS64’s and MS65’s. I find the 1896/1896 an interesting variety for which collectors should keep an eye out.

This is a well struck coin. Examples are typically seen with strong detail on the head of liberty, the stars are well defined and the eagle’s feathers are boldly rendered. The surfaces are generally abraded with most of the marks clustered in the fields. A few show mint-made copper spots; however, these are seldom heavy or detracting. The luster is excellent with heavy mint frost. Some semi-proof-like coins are known but often show poor eye appeal due to an overabundance of marks in the fields. The natural coloration ranges from orange-gold to rose to greenish-gold. The eye appeal for this date is above average, and it is reasonably easy to locate an 1896 double eagle with very good eye appeal.

1896 Double Eagle – Varieties, Proofs & High-Grade Rarity

A total of 128 proofs were struck, and an estimated 40-50 are known. The mintage figure for proofs is the second highest of any Type Three double eagle, but the survival rate is a little lower than some of the more available dates from the early 1900s. The finest known to me is a single PR67+ Deep Cameo graded by PCGS.

Two varieties are known. The first has a normal date. The scarcer second variety has noticeable repunching on all four digits of the date. It is recognized by NGC and likely to become included as part of the regular double eagle series, as it is so clear to the naked eye.

This date is very common in grades up to and including MS62, and it is scarce in MS64 with 500 seen to date. It is very rare in MS65 with only 17 coins graded by PCGS and NGC combined. Less than 10 finer than this are known which includes one MS67 graded by NGC.