Sacagawea Dollar

The Sacagawea dollar is a U.S. one-dollar coin introduced in 2000, distinguished by its golden color and smooth, non-reeded edge, intended to make it easier to distinguish from the quarter after confusion had plagued the earlier Susan B. Anthony dollar. It depicts Sacagawea, the young Shoshone woman who assisted the Lewis and Clark Expedition, carrying her infant son Jean Baptiste.

Since 2009 the reverse has rotated annually under the Native American $1 Coin Program, honoring different contributions of Native Americans throughout U.S. history, while the obverse portrait has remained constant, making the series appealing to collectors interested in both the ongoing series and its educational reverse themes.

Sculptor Glenna Goodacre designed the obverse portrait of Sacagawea, using a Shoshone-Bannock college student as a model since no contemporary likeness of Sacagawea exists. The coin was introduced to replace the unpopular Susan B. Anthony dollar, with a golden brass-alloy composition and plain edge meant to reduce confusion with the quarter.

Initial reverses (2000-2008) showed an eagle in flight designed by Thomas D. Rogers. Beginning in 2009, the Native American $1 Coin Act mandated an annually changing reverse theme highlighting Native American history and culture, and dates and mint marks moved to the edge of the coin starting that same year.

The obverse always shows Sacagawea in three-quarter view carrying her infant son on her back, with "LIBERTY" above and "IN GOD WE TRUST" to the side. From 2000-2008 the reverse depicts a soaring eagle; from 2009 onward, reverse designs change yearly to depict different Native American themes, all bearing "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and "$1."

The coin is composed of a pure copper core clad with manganese-brass, giving it a distinctive gold color, and measures 26.5 mm, the same diameter as the earlier Anthony dollar and current Native American and Presidential dollars. It has a plain, smooth edge, though from 2009 onward the mint mark, date, and mottoes "E PLURIBUS UNUM" and "IN GOD WE TRUST" appear incuse on the edge rather than on the coin's faces.

A well-known rarity, the "Cheerios dollar," refers to 2000-dated coins with an enhanced tail-feather design distributed in cereal boxes as promotional samples before the final design was finalized.

The vast majority of Sacagawea dollars are common, circulating at face value with no meaningful collector premium. Uncirculated rolls and mint sets are widely available and inexpensive.

The exception is the "Cheerios dollar" variety from 2000, which can be worth a substantial premium over face value due to its distinctive eagle design and promotional origin, though verified authentic examples are relatively scarce. Otherwise, values are driven mainly by mint-set packaging and condition rather than rarity.