The mintage figure for this issue is the lowest of any double eagle made at the Philadelphia Mint since 1891. It is scarce and undervalued, although not to the degree as when I released the first edition of this book well over a decade ago.

Expert’s Corner: 1898 Double Eagle

I don’t see the small quantities of MS63 1898 double eagles I saw a few years ago, and I like this coin in this grade. If you can find a nice, minimally marked MS64, it is a tremendous value, especially given the fact that, currently, none are known to me in MS65.

This is one of the more poorly struck double eagles from this era. A number show weakness on the obverse stars while others are not fully detailed on the hair of Liberty. The reverse is usually a bit sharper and will often appear to be at least one grade sharper than the obverse. The surfaces are nearly always very heavily abraded, and it is really hard to find an 1898 double eagle with acceptable surfaces. 

1898 Double Eagle: Proofs & High-Grade Rarity

The luster is frosty but a bit dull in texture, often interrupted by the aforementioned surface abrasions. Original, uncleaned pieces show somewhat deep orange-gold or greenish-gold coloration.

There were 75 proofs made. There are around four dozen known today including a handful gem and superb gem pieces. Four PCGS PR67 Cameos are likely the finest known. As recently as a decade ago, this date was almost never seen above MS62. The 1898 double eagle in MS63 is modestly scarce with 472 known. It still has a great rarity factor! It remains rare in MS64 with only about 50 known, and I am not aware of a finer example.