The 1902-S is a scarce date in the Liberty Head double eagle series.

Expert’s Corner: 1902-S Double Eagle

Most serious collectors of Liberty Head double eagles are going to be content with a desirable MS63 example of this date. More advanced collectors might look for an MS64 which will prove to be a surprisingly difficult but rewarding task.

The 1902-S is better struck than the 1900-S and 1901-S. While a few are seen with weakness on the radial lines of the stars, many show full detail. Most are sharp on the hair and feathers and are as sharp on the reverse as they are on the obverse. Typically, the surfaces are abraded, and some examples have small coppery spots. The luster is excellent with a thick, frosty texture. 

Common in Lower Mint State, Legendary Eliasberg

A few semi-proof-like or even fully proof-like exist; these often have poor eye appeal as they are very heavily abraded. The coloration ranges from rich orange-gold to rose to green-gold. The overall eye appeal of this date is good to very good. It is not hard to locate a frosty example with an acceptable number of abrasions in the fields.

The unquestioned finest known 1902-S double eagle is a PCGS MS67+, that was part of the Eliasberg collection. The 1902-S is very common in grades up to MS62. It is scarce in MS64, only 123 graded by PCGS and NGC combined; I only know of seven graded MS65 by PCGS and NGC combined. PCGS has graded one MS66 and one MS67.