Jeff Garrett: 25th Anniversary Sacagawea Dollars

The US Mint has released a half ounce .9999 fine Gold 25th Anniversary Edition of the Sacagawea Dollar, a coin that was originally produced from 2000 to 2008. Only 7,500 examples were struck of the 25th Anniversary Edition, and the coin has quickly sold out. The coins were struck in Brilliant Proof at the West Point Mint.

The 2025 Anniversary Sacagawea Dollar retains the original design and inscriptions of the circulation strike editions. The coins were designed by Glenna Goodacre (obverse) and Thomas D. Rogers (reverse. The 2025 gold versions of the Sacagawea Dollar bring to memory the interesting story of this short-lived, but popular series.

The Sacagawea was created in 2000, minted with a fine golden color and plain edge to distinguish it from other coins of similar size — the ill-fated Susan B. Anthony was too close in size and color of circulating quarter dollars. The new dollar coinage alloy and change of appearance were mandated by the United States Dollar Coin Act of 1997. The new Sacagawea Dollar coin was struck in pure copper with the golden outer layer of manganese brass. Glenna Goodacre, a famous sculptor, created the obverse design featuring Sacagawea, the Shoshone Indian who assisted Lewis and Clark on their expedition across the land acquired by the Louisiana Purchase.

About a dozen Sacagawea Dollar coins were struck in 22-karat gold at the West Point Mint in 1999. These coins were struck with a prototype reverse design, featuring boldly detailed tail feathers. The prototype reverse design was later used for early circulation strike coins that were packaged as a promotion in boxes of Cheerios cereal. The dozen gold examples were sent on the US space shuttle Colombia to honor astronaut Eillen Collins, the first female commander of a Space Shuttle flight. The coins traveled 1.8 million miles. The original Gold Sacagawea Dollars would be among the most desirable modern coins ever, if they came to market. After years of being stored at Fort Knox, the coins were last publicly displayed at the 2007 World's Fair of Money in Milwaukee.

My personal experience with 2000-dated Sacagawea Dollars began in 2010, the 10th anniversary of the coin's creation. Coin World magazine ran a front-page news story marking the anniversary. The part of the story that caught my eye was recalling how Glenna Goodacre — one of the most prominent sculptors of the day — had won the $5,000 design contest for the obverse. She had brilliantly asked to be paid in the newly minted coins once they had been struck. Apparently, 5,000 examples were minted for the occasion, and they all have a special finish similar to coins designated as Specimens. The surfaces of those coins are fully mirrored but are clearly not Proofs.

Glenna later offered examples for around $100 each, turning the $5,000 prize into a potential $500,000 payday. When the US Mint heard about the sales, they protested and Glenna stopped selling the coins. The article estimated that she had sold about 3,000 of the 5,000 coins at that point. But I began to wonder what happened to the remaining 2,000 coins.

Thanks to the power of Google, I was able to find Glenna's contact information and sent her an email, asking if the remaining coins might be for sale. It was crickets for the next few months. Finally, one day, an email arrived from her agent that stated that they were not ignoring my emails, but the coins had been misplaced. They were able to locate them in the wine cellar and were happy to discuss a sale.

My wife and I traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to meet with Glenna and her agent, Dan Anthony. A deal was quickly consummated, and I then owned 2,000+ Goodacre presentation coins. The 2,000+ Glenna Goodacre presentation coins were an easy sell, and today they are eagerly sought after by collectors of modern coins when they show up in the aftermarket. I still retain around 10 to 12 of the best examples, especially the ones with great toning.

Glenna, who has since passed, was a delight to work with. We developed a great relationship that would later help preserve her numismatic art for the nation. Glenna asked me to help facilitate the transfer of her numismatic art to the Smithsonian Numismatic Collection.

Glenna Goodacre's original art for the Sacagawea Dollar is a wonderful illustration of the "what if" of numismatics. It's a window into the mind of the artist and her creative process. Her dozens of drawings, clay models and photographic archive are now preserved at the Smithsonian for future generations.

The 25th anniversary of the Sacagawea Dollar and the 2025 golden coin issue are wonderful tributes to this historic coin. Glenna Goodacre's artistic interpretation powerfully portrays the crucial role Sacagawea played in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The efforts of Sacagawea and many others helped open the West for the expansion of the United States.

The great numismatist Q. David Bowers relayed to me many times his interest in modern dollar coinage. His wonderful work, "A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins" published by Whitman, carefully examines the history of this short-lived but fascinating series.

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