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What Is the Worth of a Commemorative Sacagawea Gold Dollar?

Large, shiny, golden coins hint at vast wealth; unfortunately, in the case of the Sacagawea dollar coins, that's generally misleading. Despite their golden color, they do not contain any gold. They have been in general circulation since 2000, and are used primarily to make change in transit system and U.S. Postal Service vending machines. Because they have been circulated in such large quantities, only a very few rare Sacagawea dollars are worth more than face value to collectors.

Sacagawea Coin Design
- The 1997 United States $1 Coin Act authorized the creation of new one-dollar coins to replace the old Susan B. Anthony dollars. The image of Sacagawea, a Shoshone Indian guide who assisted Lewis and Clark on their westward expedition from 1804 to 1806, was selected for the face, or obverse, of the new coin. The reverse of the original coin was an eagle surrounded by 17 stars, one for each state in the Union at the time of the expedition.
Minting the Coin
- The Sacagawea coin has been minted at all three U.S. Mint locations -- Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. Since 2005, the Philadelphia and Denver mints have issued a variant with a satin finish. According to Coin Help, a major coin auctioneer, this version may command slightly higher prices than face value. A 1999 promotional minting of 5,500 of the coins was distributed in Cheerios boxes beginning in January 2000 to introduce the coin to the U.S. public. Before additional coins were produced, a change was made to the die used for minting the coins. As a result, these very rare first Sacagawea dollars may command as much as $11,500 from serious collectors, according to U.S. Coin Values Advisor.
Collector Values
- The Professional Coin Grading Service (Pcgs.com) rates coins based on their condition. The highest rating, MS-70, is given only to coins in mint, or perfect, condition. Most currently circulated Sacagawea dollars are in the mid-60s range and are not of interest to collectors. In recent years, some MS-69 and MS-70 Sacagawea coins have been sold for prices ranging from $30 to $400. The vast majority, however, are worth only their $1 face value.
Intrinsic Metals Values
- Certain U.S. coins are worth more than their face value due to their metals content. Pre-1964 quarters and dimes, for example, have much higher silver content than their later versions, and as a result are more valuable. The Sacagawea dollar contains the common metals copper, zinc, manganese and nickel and is therefore worth very little to metals dealers. According to the New York Metals Exchange rates in August 2011, the total value of the metals contained in one Sacagawea coin, if melted down, is only seven and a half cents.

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