2002 W Silver Eagle Proof MS 69 Ultra Cameo # 027

Presenting a 2002 W $1 Silver Eagle in Proof 69 Ultra Cameo (UCAM). The “W” represents the fact that this Silver Eagle was minted at the West Point Mint. The “W” coins are part of an effort to encourage increased interest in coin collecting, according to United States Mint.

The coin is well struck with all the details being sharp and clean. You can see the lines on Miss Liberty’s dress, the sun, the wreath, and the branches. The coin design shows Lady Liberty walking toward the sun “and the dawn of a new day”. She is carrying laurel and oak branches to symbolize military and civil victory, and her outstretched arm represents her attempts to impart the spirit of liberty to others.

This coin is graded Proof 69 Ultra Cameo by NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation), one of the top grading companies in the world. Frosting in lettering and devices is often achieved by sandblasting the die and then polishing only the fields to a brilliant finish (which are also referred to as mirrored fields). As you can see the fields surrounding Miss Liberty have a very deep mirrored finish. You can actually see yourself if you look directly at the coin. And Miss Liberty has a super frost finish. Just the way a coin like this should look. This Silver Eagle is of great worth and value to the collector looking to fill out their Silver Eagle Set! This exceptional coin has no spots or any other issues.

Proofs are coins that are specially struck, typically for sales directly to collectors. Many proofs exhibit varying degrees of “frost” on the design elements. This is achieved when the surrounding fields are polished on the coining die to give them a brilliant finish. The design elements are either untouched or sandblasted to have a matte finish.

NGC uses Cameo and Ultra Cameo designations after the numeric grade to describe the degree of frost present on the design elements. If little or no frost is present, no designation will be used. (Note: Ultra Cameo is generally synonymous with Deep Cameo, another common term in the hobby.