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About the coins

The 2002 Platinum Eagle Proofs are the last installment in the five year “Vistas of Liberty” series. They also mark the third appearance for U.S. mint sculptor Al Maletsky as the reverse’s designer on a “Vistas of Liberty” coin. Maletsky’s kinetically dynamic design, “Eagle Fishing in America’s Northwest,” features a predatory swooping Bald Eagle pursuing a leaping trout in a pristine lake panoramically rimmed by majestic snowcapped mountains.

Al Maletsky’s return to close out the “Vistas of Liberty” series resulted in arguably the most compelling reverse for the entire “Vistas of Liberty” series, even topping his primordial image for the “Wetlands” issue in 1999. “Eagle Fishing in America’s Northwest” is the first reverse design to depict the Bald Eagle doing something other than flying over the landscape. This time, he is predatorily engaged with his natural environment rather than being an aloof spectator. United States coin history is richer for this rare and unique distinction.

Following the trend he began in 1999, Maletsky’s “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” legend dramatically caps the coin’s design with a single line of text arced at the top rim. However, this time the legend’s span is significantly wider than any other coin in the series contributing to the dramatic impact of the image. The legends for fineness “.9995 Platinum” and government guaranteed platinum weight are once again below the coin’s legal tender denomination, but this time they arc around the bottom rim. The West Point “W” mint mark is placed within the sunlit portion of the lake near the left rim just above the Eagle’s tail.

Original Total Mintage Summary:

Maletsky’s return sparked collector demand, and for the first time since the Platinum Proof series began, the total mintage of 40,253 actually increased over the previous year’s mintage. The total places the 2002 Platinum Eagle Proofs dead in the middle as the fifth rarest coin in the series from 1997-2005. The $50 Proof coin continues its reign as the rarest within the issue with only 8,772 coins produced.

NGC Certified Population Summary:

Additionally, through June 26, 2009, a total of only 248 four coin Platinum Eagle Proof sets from 2002 had been certified by NGC in Proof 70 condition.

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