Almost every Sacagawea dollar is worth exactly one dollar. Hundreds of millions were struck in 2000 and 2001, and circulated coins from any year, including the "gold" ones, sell for face value. Uncirculated coins from rolls and Mint sets bring approximately $2 to $5. The coins that are worth real money form a short list: the 2000-P Cheerios dollar with its detailed tail feathers (several thousand dollars and up), the 2000-P Wounded Eagle die variety ($50 to a few hundred), a handful of striking errors such as missing edge lettering on later coins, and the Sacagawea and Washington quarter mule, a six-figure rarity almost nobody will ever find. The color is not gold, and it never was.
Quick answer
- Nearly all Sacagawea and Native American dollars are worth $1, or $2-5 uncirculated.
- Check 2000-P coins for detailed tail feathers and a raised line across the eagle's breast.
- Cheerios dollars, Wounded Eagles, mules and real striking errors are worth more.
How to check yours, step by step
The checks below take about a minute per coin with a 5x or 10x loupe and a window for light. Sort by year first, because the valuable varieties are almost all dated 2000.
- Confirm it is a Sacagawea or Native American dollar. The obverse shows Sacagawea looking over her shoulder with her infant son, Jean Baptiste, on her back. The coin is golden or brownish, 26.5 mm across, with a plain edge and no reeding. Presidential dollars are the same size and color but show a president and have lettering on the edge.
- Read the date and mint mark on the obverse. From 2000 to 2008, the date and the mint mark (P, D or S) sit below Sacagawea's chin, near the rim on the lower right of the coin. From 2009 onward the date and mint mark moved to the edge, stamped into the rim along with E PLURIBUS UNUM.
- Turn it over and identify the reverse. A soaring eagle surrounded by 17 stars means 2000 to 2008, the original Sacagawea design. Any other reverse, such as a woman planting seeds, a peace pipe, a horse or a spacecraft, is the Native American series from 2009 on, which changes design every year.
- On a 2000-P, look at the eagle's tail feathers. This is where a Cheerios dollar shows itself. On a regular coin the tail feathers are fairly plain. On the Cheerios prototype reverse, the feathers carry raised, parallel lines that run down each feather like veins, clearly visible under a loupe. Compare against reference photos of both side by side.
- On a 2000-P, look across the eagle's breast. The Wounded Eagle variety has a raised, curved line running from the eagle's breast toward its wing, as if the bird had been struck by an arrow. It comes from a gouge in the die, so the line stands up from the surface rather than being cut into it.
- On 2009 and later coins, check the edge. Roll the coin slowly under a lamp. If the date, mint mark and motto are missing entirely, it may be a missing edge lettering error. If the lettering is there but upside down relative to another coin, that is normal, because the edge was lettered in a separate step in either orientation.
- Look at the surface last. A mirror-like field with frosted design means a proof, usually with an S mint mark. A coin with soft, even, unworn luster is uncirculated. A brown, dull or spotted coin has simply toned, which is normal for this alloy.
Sacagawea dollar values by type and variety
These are approximate retail values for original coins without cleaning, scratches or corrosion. "Circulated" means a coin that has been spent. "Uncirculated" means no wear, as found in rolls and Mint sets.
| Coin | What to look for | Circulated | Uncirculated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any 2000 to 2008 Sacagawea, P or D | Soaring eagle reverse | $1 | $2-5 |
| 2000-P Cheerios dollar | Detailed, veined tail feathers | Rarely found worn; still $1,000+ | $5,000-20,000+ |
| 2000-P Wounded Eagle | Raised line across eagle's breast | $50-150 | $150-400+ |
| 2000-P Goodacre presentation strike | Burnished finish, 5,000 struck for the designer | Not applicable | Low hundreds |
| Any 2009+ Native American dollar | Annual reverse, date on edge | $1 | $2-5 |
| 2009+ missing edge lettering | Blank edge, no date or motto | $25-75 | $50-150 |
| Sacagawea and Washington quarter mule | Washington obverse, eagle reverse, golden color | Not found worn | Six figures |
| Off-center or broadstrike errors | Design shifted or spread past the rim | $50-300 | $100-500+ |
The Cheerios dollar
In early 2000, General Mills placed a new 2000-P Sacagawea dollar in one out of every 2,000 boxes of Cheerios as a promotion, about 5,500 coins in total. Nobody noticed anything unusual for years. Collectors later found that these coins were struck from an early prototype reverse die, with more detail in the eagle's tail feathers than the design used for regular production. Most were spent or put in drawers, and only a modest number have been identified since. Genuine examples in original packaging or in a grading holder sell for several thousand dollars, with the finest reaching well into five figures. A 2000-P with plain tail feathers is a regular coin worth $1, no matter how it was obtained.
The Wounded Eagle
The Wounded Eagle, also called the Speared Eagle, is a 2000-P die variety rather than a design change. A gouge in the die left a raised line across the eagle's chest that looks like a wound. It turns up in circulation more often than the Cheerios dollar, and worn examples sell for tens of dollars to low hundreds. Sharp, uncirculated examples bring more. Scratches cut into the coin are common and look similar at a glance, so the line has to be raised, not sunken.
The Sacagawea and Washington quarter mule
A mule is a coin struck with dies that were never meant to be paired. In 2000, a small number of coins were struck on golden dollar planchets with a Washington quarter obverse and a Sacagawea dollar reverse. Roughly a dozen and a half are known. They sell for six figures. Any coin claimed to be one needs authentication from a major grading service before anyone pays money for it.
Proofs and special finishes
Proof Sacagawea and Native American dollars from San Francisco come from annual proof sets and are worth $5-20 each, sometimes a little more for low-mintage years. Special issues from collector sets, such as enhanced uncirculated and reverse proof coins sold in Coin and Currency sets and similar products, generally sell for $10-40. These are collector pieces from the start, so they rarely appear in pocket change.
| Proof or special issue | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Sacagawea proof, 2000-S to 2008-S | $5-15 |
| Native American proof, 2009-S onward | $5-20 |
| Enhanced uncirculated or reverse proof from a set | $10-40 |
| Mint set uncirculated coin, any year | $2-5 |
| Bank roll of 25 uncirculated coins, common year | $25-40 |
The Native American dollar series
From 2009, the reverse switched to a new design every year honoring Native American contributions, from agriculture to code talkers. The Mint stopped making these coins for general circulation in 2012, so later years mostly come from rolls and bags sold to collectors. Even so, mintages are in the millions, and they are worth face value in circulated condition and a few dollars uncirculated. The interesting ones are the errors: missing edge lettering, doubled edge lettering and clear off-center strikes. The error coins guide explains how to separate those from damage done outside the Mint.
Why the "gold dollar" is not gold
The Sacagawea dollar is often called the golden dollar, and that nickname causes more confusion than anything else about it. The coin is made of a copper core clad in manganese brass, which is mostly copper with some zinc, manganese and nickel. The alloy was chosen to give a gold color and to work in vending machines that already accepted the Susan B. Anthony dollar, the same size coin it replaced. A Sacagawea dollar contains no gold and no silver, and its metal is worth well under a dollar.
The alloy also tarnishes quickly. Many coins that came out bright in 2000 are now brown, spotty or streaked. That is normal and does not make a coin older or rarer. Coins that look freshly golden have usually been dipped or polished, which removes any collector premium.
Real American gold dollars do exist, but they are tiny coins from 1849 to 1889, about 13 to 15 mm across, roughly the size of a dime or smaller. The US gold coins guide covers those. Any large golden dollar from 2000 or later is a brass coin.
Common mistakes
- Treating the gold color as gold. No Sacagawea dollar is gold. Plated "24K gold" versions sold by marketing companies are ordinary dollars with a thin coating and are worth about face value.
- Calling every 2000-P a Cheerios dollar. Hundreds of millions of 2000-P coins exist. Only the detailed tail feathers make one a Cheerios dollar, and the packaging alone proves nothing.
- Mistaking scratches for the Wounded Eagle. The Wounded Eagle line is raised and sits in the same place on every example. A cut or scratch is sunken and random.
- Thinking upside-down edge lettering is an error. On 2009 and later coins the edge lettering can face either way relative to the design. Both orientations are normal.
- Polishing a tarnished coin. Brown toning is expected. Cleaning leaves hairlines and a harsh color that buyers discount.
- Pricing from online listings. Asking prices for "rare" Sacagawea dollars on marketplaces are often hundreds or thousands of dollars for ordinary coins. Sold prices are what count.
- Assuming a 2001 or 2002 coin is scarce. Later years had smaller mintages and limited circulation, but they were still made in the millions and sold to collectors in rolls.
What to photograph
A few sharp photos settle most Sacagawea questions. Use daylight from a window, no flash, and hold the phone parallel to the coin.
- The obverse straight on, with the date and mint mark readable, or the edge for 2009 and later coins.
- The reverse straight on, showing the whole eagle or the annual design.
- A close macro of the eagle's tail feathers on any 2000-P, lit from one side so raised detail casts a small shadow.
- A close macro of the eagle's breast for a possible Wounded Eagle, also with side light.
- The edge, rotated in two or three shots, for any 2009 or later coin that might lack lettering.
- The packaging, front and back, if the coin is still sealed in a Cheerios card or a Mint product.
With those, a coin can usually be confirmed as an ordinary dollar or flagged as a variety worth a closer look.
When to get it looked at in person
For a regular Sacagawea or Native American dollar, there is nothing to gain from a professional opinion. The value is a dollar, and any fee exceeds it.
- A Cheerios dollar candidate is worth sending to PCGS or NGC. Grading fees start in the tens of dollars per coin and rise with declared value, plus shipping and a membership or dealer submission. A coin in a holder labeled as the Cheerios reverse sells for far more than a raw one.
- A mule candidate should go straight to a major grading service, and should never be sold raw.
- A Wounded Eagle is often worth checking with a local coin dealer first. Many dealers will look at a coin briefly for a small charge or none, and can tell a die gouge from a scratch in seconds. Grading makes sense mainly for sharp uncirculated examples.
- Errors such as off-center strikes can be sold raw to error specialists, who know the market better than general dealers.
Expect any dealer offer to be below retail, typically 60-80 percent of what the coin would sell for to a collector.