Sacagawea & Native American Dollars 2000 to Date

About This Series

Glenna Goodacre's portrait of Sacagawea carrying her infant son Jean Baptiste Charbonneau created an instantly recognizable golden dollar that succeeded where the Susan B. Anthony had failed — the distinctive manganese brass clad composition gives the coin a warm golden color and smooth edge that prevent confusion with the quarter. Beginning in 2009, annually rotating reverse designs honoring Native American contributions replaced the original soaring eagle reverse, transforming the denomination into an ongoing series celebrating indigenous achievements in agriculture, diplomacy, military service, the space program, and other fields. The 2000 Cheerios variety — distributed in promotional cereal boxes with a subtly different tail feather detail — has become one of the most sought-after modern varieties, commanding prices exceeding $10,000 in high grades. The Wounded Eagle variety, showing a gouge through the eagle on certain 2000-P coins, is another popular collector error. Struck at 26.5mm and 8.1 grams, these dollars are produced primarily for collector sales rather than general circulation. The series carries significance beyond numismatics: it features the first named Native American woman on a major denomination's obverse, and the rotating reverse program provides an annual platform for highlighting Native American history and cultural contributions.