2008 25th Anniversary .9999 Au PR70DCAM

History

The Sacagawea dollar originated with legislation of 1997 that called for a dollar coin matching the Susan B. Anthony in size and weight but with a golden color and a plain edge, and a national design competition chose the portrait. The Mint struck the Sacagawea Golden Dollar from 2000 through 2008, the first dollar made with manganese brass, before the Native American $1 Coin Program took over in 2009. On July 24, 2025, the Mint announced a 24-karat proof coin using the original design to mark 25 years since the series began, with sales opening July 31, 2025 at noon Eastern. Pricing followed the Mint's numismatic gold grid, added by a Federal Register notice dated July 1, 2025, and adjusted weekly against the LBMA gold average.

Details

The coin was struck at West Point and carries a W mint mark. It contains one-half troy ounce of .9999 fine gold, weighs 15.55 grams, measures 26.50 mm across and has a plain edge, matching the profile of the original circulating dollar. The Mint set a product limit of 7,500 pieces and restricted orders to one per household. The obverse design is the work of Glenna Goodacre and the reverse is by Thomas D. Rogers Sr.

Features

The obverse shows Sacagawea in three-quarter profile with her infant son Jean-Baptiste on her back, accompanied by LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and the date. On the reverse, a soaring eagle is encircled by seventeen stars representing the states in the Union at the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM and ONE DOLLAR. The most useful identifying detail is what is missing: the weight and fineness inscriptions normally placed on United States gold coins were omitted so the piece would match the appearance of the 2000 dollar. No varieties are recognized for the issue.

Notable facts

• Gold-plated manganese-brass Sacagawea dollars are sold commercially and are often mistaken for gold, but a plated circulation piece weighs 8.10 grams against roughly 15.55 grams for the 2025-W.
• The Mint consulted historians and Native American representatives on the original design, including the choice of the "Sacagawea" spelling among competing historical variants and the depiction of how she would have carried her child.
• Nearly three-quarters of a billion Sacagawea dollars were struck for circulation before demand fell away and annual mintages dropped to five or six million from 2002 onward.
• The one-half-ounce anniversary coin is legal tender with a face value of one dollar.
• PCGS files the issue under its Sacagawea (2000-2008) category, which accounts for the 2008 date attached to some listings.