In 1902, the mintage figure for double eagles dropped to its lowest level since 1892. The 1902 is the rarest 20th century Liberty Head issue of this denomination in terms of its overall rarity; it is similar to the 1905 in terms of its premium quality rarity.

Expert’s Corner: 1902 Double Eagle

If more collectors begin to focus on the 20th century Liberty Head subset, this date will become famous as a key issue in the series, and it could show strong price appreciation in MS62, MS63 and MS64 grades.

The strike seen on this issue ranges from below average to average quality. Some are weakly struck on the radial lines of the obverse stars, the strands of the hair and some of the feathers. Most are very heavily bagmarked with a “scuffy” appearance. The luster is not as good as on other Philadelphia double eagles of this era. It is satiny with a slightly washed-out appearance. Pieces with nice frosty luster do exist; consequently, these are in great demand among savvy date collectors and specialists. The coloration seen most often is a medium yellow gold with a slight green-gold undertone. The eye appeal is mostly below average due to the heavily marked surfaces and the inferior luster mentioned above.