Why Is This Sacajawea Dollar Worth Thousands of Dollars? (2024)

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Why Is This Sacajawea Dollar Worth Thousands of Dollars?

By

Susan Headley

Susan Headley

Susan Headley is a well-respected coin collecting expert and writer with over 30 years of hands-on numismatic experience.She is a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and holds several certifications. Susan also belongs to the American Numismatic Society (ANS) and CONECA (error and variety coins club).

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Updated on 06/29/22

Why Is This Sacajawea Dollar Worth Thousands of Dollars? (1)

The Cheerios Dollar

A Cheerios Dollar is a Sacagawea Dollar bearing the date 2000 that was inserted into boxes of Cheerios cereal in early 2000 as part of a U.S. Mint promotion to raise awareness about the new "Golden Dollar." There were 10 million boxes of Cheerios in the promotion, all of which included a newly-struck 2000 Lincoln Cent. A lucky 5,500 boxes also contained a Sacagawea Dollar, which was later discovered to have been struck from a different set of master dies than the regular Sacagawea Dollars.

Most collectors consider these rare coins, which quickly gained the moniker Cheerios Dollars, to be pattern coins. They can be distinguished from standard Sacagawea Dollars by the enhanced eagle tail feathers on the reverse (see photo.) Significantly few specimens have come to light, perhaps no more than 60 or 70 total, and they are pretty valuable, selling for $5,000 to $25,000 depending on grade. However, numismatic researchers later discovered that not all of the Sacajawea dollars placed in the boxes have the enhanced tail feathers as initially thought.

How Many Cheerio Dollars Are There?

Some experts from a third-party grading service opened a sealed box of Cheerios that contained the Sacajawea dollar some years ago. However, the dollar included within the package was a regular Sacajawea dollar without the enhanced tail feathers. Furthermore, the cereal box appeared authentic, and there was no evidence that anybody tampered with the card carrying the Sacajawea dollar. Therefore, it is impossible to know exactly how many boxes of Cheerios contained a Sacajawea Dollar with the enhanced tail feathers.

According to an official statement from the United States Mint that was released on June 17, 2007, by spokeswoman Joyce Harris: “5,500 Golden Dollars of a ‘high detail’ feather variety (12 tail feathers) were manufactured and shipped to General Mills as part of the Golden Dollar promotion in October 1999, under a detailed arrangement that they not be released until January 2000. Before the coins were released to the Federal Reserve in 2000, the feather detail was softened, and the center tail feather was recessed to solve a die manufacturing issue. Recessing the center tail feather gives the illusion of a 13th feather, but that was not the intent.”

Why Are They so Valuable?

As coin collectors started to assemble complete sets of Sacajawea dollars, they realized that there were two different varieties of the 2000 Sacajawea coin. They were firstlisted in the 60th Edition (2007) ofA Guide Book of United States Coins(aka "The Redbook") by R. S. Yeoman. They are also listed in theCherrypickers' Guide To Rare Die Varieties Of United States Coins, Fourth Edition Volume II, by Bill Fivaz & J. T. Stanton.Fivaz andStantondescribed the coin as "Enhanced Reverse Die" and gave it a catalog number of FS-C1-2000P-901.

Since the number of known specimens is so few, an advanced collector seeking to assemble a complete set of Sacajawea dollars, including all die varieties, will need one of these coins to complete their collection.

Closing Thoughts

Nobody knows why so few Cheerios Dollars have come to light; some people think they were all spent in circulation, while others believe they're just sitting in people's drawers and coin jars, waiting to be discovered.

Regardless of the hypotheses circulating in numismatics, people are still discovering specimens. Some people have found them in "dealers' junk boxes," and others have been found in circulation. So far, PCGS has certified 107 examples, and NGC has only certified two specimens. The highest price ever paid for a Cheerios dollar was $29,900 for a PCGS MS-68 specimen in the May 2008 Heritage Auction in Long Beach, California, at the Signature Auction #1108.

Now that you know what to look for, you should look at every 2000 Sacajawea dollar you come across. Since there are dealers that are not familiar with this rare die variety, you should also ask to see their Sacajawea dollar specimens. You never know what you will find.

Why Is This Sacajawea Dollar Worth Thousands of Dollars? (2024)

FAQs

Why Is This Sacajawea Dollar Worth Thousands of Dollars? ›

For Sacagawea dollars, such errors might include being stamped off-center, using the wrong metal or planchet, or other anomalies in the minting process. These errors can make a coin incredibly valuable, even if they look like minor imperfections to the untrained eye.

Why is Sacagawea Dollar so valuable? ›

In many respects, the Sacagawea dollar is a rare coin. The fact that it features a woman, alone, makes it one of very few such coins in the United States. However, the Sacagawea dollar coin is also rare because of its scarcity. Only 71 billion Sacagawea coins have been minted, and this is far fewer than other coins.

Is a Sacagawea coin worth 100000? ›

The 2000-P Sacagawea Dollar Mule with State Quarter Obverse numbers fewer than 20 specimens and has hammered for over $100,000 at auction. Courtesy of PCGS TrueView. Click image to enlarge. In numismatic parlance, the term “mule” doesn't refer to a horse-donkey hybrid, as is well known in agrarian circles.

What makes the dollar coin valuable? ›

Both the age and rarity of a dollar coin influences its value. After determining precious metal content, it's necessary for collectors to determine the numismatic value of their coin. The year of minting and the rarity of your dollar coin contribute to this value estimate.

Are 1 dollar coins rare? ›

Of the 109,576,000 originally minted, the PCGS estimates there are 100 million still in existence. However, in top condition, these relatively common coins become rare indeed.

How much is $1 coin worth? ›

Value of U.S. One Dollar Coins

Despite their perhaps seemingly elusive nature, the vast majority of these coins are extremely common and still only worth their face value of one dollar. The first silver dollar coins were minted in 1794.

How much is a 2000-P Cheerios dollar coin worth? ›

There is certainly no reason to think that the other 5,420 coins were destroyed or never found. That means that right now there are over 5,000 2000-P Cheerios dollars still in the wild waiting to be found. Cheerios dollars regularly sell for around $5,000 in today's market.

How can I tell if I have a Cheerios Sacagawea Dollar? ›

They have an enhanced reverse. The reverse of the Sacagawea dollar features an eagle, and the Cheerios dollar's eagle has enhanced detail on the tail feathers.

Are Kennedy half dollars worth anything? ›

The Kennedy half dollar coin from pre-1975 is worth between $10 and $1,500+, depending on condition and rarity. The key aspect of the coin that causes the difference in worth is whether the print of Kennedy has "accented hair" above his ear or not.

Is a 2000 D Sacagawea Dollar worth anything? ›

2000 D Sacagawea Coin Value

According to the NGC Price Guide, as of May 2024, a Sacagawea Coin from 2000 in circulated condition is worth between $1.05 and $1.35. However, on the open market 2000 D Dollars in pristine, uncirculated condition sell for as much as $100.

What is a Cheerios Sacagawea Dollar? ›

A Cheerios Dollar is a Sacagawea Dollar bearing the date 2000 that was inserted into boxes of Cheerios cereal in early 2000 as part of a U.S. Mint promotion to raise awareness about the new "Golden Dollar." There were 10 million boxes of Cheerios in the promotion, all of which included a newly-struck 2000 Lincoln Cent.

Which presidential dollar coins are rare? ›

To ring in President's Day and add value to your collection, scope out a few rare and valuable coins from this collection.
  • 2007 Washington $1 Missing Edge Lettering Coin.
  • 2010 FDI Lincoln $1 Coin.
  • 2007 John Adams Double Lettering $1 Coin.
  • 2012 to 2016 Presidential $1 Coins.
  • Get the Best Bang for Your Buck (or $1 Coin)
Jan 20, 2024

How do I know if my Sacagawea dollar is worth money? ›

As with any coin, the value of a Sacagawea Dollar depends on its condition and its rarity. Most of the coins you find will be worth about face value, though you can usually get a few cents more than $1 because they are so prized. But there are a few error varieties that fetch tens of thousands of dollars.

What makes a Sacagawea $1 coin so rare? ›

This is one of the few US coins to feature a woman, which alone makes it rare in a sense. Some years were made for collectors only, with the coins never released for circulation.

Are president $1 coins worth anything? ›

As a way of honoring more presidents, the U.S. Mint began issuing Presidential Dollar coins in the 2000s. Most are worth about face value, but a couple are valued in six figures due to errors. From 2007 to 2016, the Mint issued four Presidential Dollar coins per year, according to its website.

How much is a Sacagawea Dollar worth today? ›

According to the NGC Price Guide, as of May 2024, a Sacagawea Coin from 2000 in circulated condition is worth between $1.05 and $1.35. However, on the open market 2000 P Dollars in pristine, uncirculated condition sell for as much as $375.

How rare is a 2000 P Sacagawea Dollar? ›

There were no less than 767,140,000 2000-P Sacagawea gold dollars minted in 2000. At the time, that was about 3 coins for every American. It goes without saying that a mintage that large doesn't leave any room for these coins to ever really be rare. Loose 2000-P Sacagawea coins are still just worth a dollar.

Is the Sacagawea Coin real gold? ›

The coin's physical makeup is a three-layer clad construction - pure copper sandwiched between outer layers of manganese brass. Like any brass, its color eventually becomes darker, giving the coins an antique finish.

What is the mistake on the Sacagawea Dollar coin? ›

This misprinted 2000-P Sacagawea coin is commonly referred to as a “mule” because of the mismatching of an obverse die and reverse die combined together. Only 19 examples are known to be out there, all in mint condition, with an average sale price between $15,000 and $50,000.

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