Rare Sacagawea Dollar : The world of coin collecting is full of hidden treasures, but few are as intriguing — or as valuable — as the elusive Sacagawea dollar coin allegedly worth $2.1 million. While most Sacagawea dollars are worth just a dollar, certain rare versions can be worth a fortune to collectors. So how can you tell if you’re holding onto one of these golden rarities?
Let’s dive into the history of the Sacagawea dollar and uncover what makes a select few worth millions.
A Brief History of the Sacagawea Dollar
The Sacagawea dollar was first issued by the U.S. Mint in 2000 as part of a push to modernize American coinage and encourage the use of dollar coins. The coin features:
- Obverse (front): A portrait of Sacagawea, the Native American woman who guided Lewis and Clark, with her infant son Jean Baptiste on her back.
- Reverse (back): A soaring eagle surrounded by 17 stars (for the 17 states in 1804), though the design changed annually in later years as part of the Native American $1 Coin Program.
The coin is gold in color but made of a copper core clad by manganese brass, not actual gold.
The $2.1 Million Dollar Coin: Fact or Fiction?
Believe it or not, a Sacagawea dollar truly did sell for $2.1 million — but not just any Sacagawea dollar.
The coin in question is part of a highly rare experimental run, known in the coin world as a “Cheerios Dollar.” Here’s why it’s so special:
The Cheerios Promotion
In early 2000, General Mills partnered with the U.S. Mint to promote the new coin. 5,500 Sacagawea dollars were placed in boxes of Cheerios cereal as a promotional giveaway. Most of these were ordinary 2000-dated Sacagawea coins — but a few weren’t.
Some of the promotional coins had a special reverse design with enhanced tail feathers on the eagle — more detailed than the final mass-production version. These are known as “Pattern Reverse Cheerios Dollars.”
Because only a few of these coins with the enhanced eagle tail feathers were struck, they are extremely rare — and thus, incredibly valuable.
How to Identify a $2.1 Million Cheerios Dollar
Here’s how to tell if you might be holding the ultra-rare version of the Sacagawea dollar:
- Date and Mint Mark
- Look for the year 2000 without a mint mark (indicating it was struck in Philadelphia).
- Cheerios Packaging
- If you somehow still have the coin sealed in its original General Mills Cheerios holder, don’t open it! This original packaging adds value and authenticity.
- Check the Tail Feathers
- On the reverse side, closely examine the eagle’s tail. The rare version has detailed veins and feather separation not present in the standard circulation coin.
- A magnifying glass or high-resolution photo comparison is often needed.
- Get It Authenticated
- If you think you have a candidate, send it to a professional grading service like PCGS or NGC. They can verify whether it’s one of the true pattern reverse coins.
Other Valuable Sacagawea Dollars
While the $2.1 million coin is the holy grail, other Sacagawea dollar varieties can also be worth significant money, such as:
- 2000-P Wounded Eagle Error: A die gouge through the eagle’s body — worth hundreds to thousands.
- 2000-P Proof Coins on the Wrong Planchet: Sometimes struck on a Susan B. Anthony blank — very rare and valuable.
- Sacagawea Dollars Struck on Experimental Planchets: These include coins struck on different metal compositions used in testing. Some have sold for over $100,000.
Final Thoughts
If you think you’ve found a rare Sacagawea dollar, especially one from 2000 with detailed tail feathers or still sealed in a Cheerios card, it’s time to act. Here’s what to do:
- Don’t clean the coin.
- Handle it carefully, preferably with gloves.
- Consult a certified numismatist or send it to a trusted grading service.
While most Sacagawea dollars are only worth face value, that one-in-a-million coin might just be hiding in plain sight — and if it’s the rare Cheerios dollar, you could be holding a $2.1 million treasure.