Gold Dollars Worth Money – A Guide To Understanding Their Value

Gold dollars containing the precious metal gold were minted by U. S. Mints from 1849 through 1889. “Gold dollars” have been minted from 2000 to the present. They are all made with a copper core and an outer layer of manganese brass alloy that appears golden in color, but they contain absolutely no precious metal gold whatsoever. The modern “gold dollars” were minted in large quantities in hopes that they would widely circulate (saving $5.5 billion over thirty years, according to the Government Accountability Office), but that has not happened.

The Present Day “Gold Dollars” Were Coined As:

1. Sacagawea Dollars (2000-2008) (Total mintage intended for circulation: more than 1,451,000,000)

2. Presidential Dollars (2007-2016, 2020) (Total mintage intended for circulation: more than 2,526,000,000)

3. Native American Dollars (2009 to Date) (Total Mintage intended for circulation: more than 261,000,000)

4. American Innovation Dollars (2018 to Date) (Total Mintage intended for circulation: more than 11,000,000)

Are Gold Dollars Worth Any Money?

For the most part, due to their enormous mintages and limited demand for them, they are, and will be, worth one dollar. Take a look at the mintages listed above. Using the term “rare” with the huge majority of these coins is a misnomer. There are a few exceptions (primarily in the Sacagawea Dollar series–see below) based upon varieties that are both (relatively) rare and are in some demand.

Related: What Makes a 1964 Kennedy Half-Dollar Rare?

2000 Gold Dollar Value Chart

The values listed below come from the January 2023 “Coin Dealers’ Newsletter,” the near-universally used numismatic wholesale price guide. However, much more than for most coins, these listed values are rather “dicey” because coin dealers must keep in-store inventory for which there is enough demand to lead to inventory sales for them.

Dealers “can’t run a museum” and clearly understand that the 2000 Sacagawea Dollars exist in huge quantities largely as they came from the Mint in 2000—in attractive, uncirculated condition because demand for them as a circulating medium of exchange never really developed.

Related: 1943 Steel Penny Value – Complete Guide

Dealers and those collectors who have an interest in 2000 Sacagawea Gold Dollar Coins understand that, in many instances, these coins can still be fairly easily found at area banks at a cost of $1.00. Thus there is often a polite reluctance on the part of many coin dealers to buy them at anything over that price.

1. 2000-P (Philadelphia)–$2.00 in Gem Uncirculated
2. 2000-D (Denver)–$2.00 in Gem Uncirculated
3. 2000-S (San Francisco—issued only in Proof condition for collectors)–$5.00 in Gem Proof

Is a 2000 Sacagawea Dollar Worth Anything?

As previously indicated, due to enormous mintages and minimal demand, virtually all 2000 Sacagawea Dollars are worth $1.00. But there are valuable exceptions, in some cases realizing five-figure sale prices!

Related: The 1936 Buffalo Nickel: A Classic American Coin with a Rich Legacy

Why is the 2000 P Sacagawea coin so valuable?

There are four valuable exceptions to the common Sacagawea Dollar, which is worth only $1.00. These four exceptions are definitely hard to find, but perhaps not impossible:

The 2000-P Sacagawea “Wounded Eagle”

The 2000-P Sacagawea “Wounded Eagle” variety is characterized by raised die marks on the eagle’s breast that look like arrows, or a spear stuck in the breast might look. PCGS has currently authenticated and graded 408 examples of this variety. Recent eBay sales have ranged from $5 for circulated and/or uncertified coins to $299 for high-grade third-party authenticated and graded specimens.

The 2000-P “Cheerios”

The 2000-P “Cheerios” variety, created when 5,500 of the 2000-P Sacagawea Dollars were put into randomly selected 5,500 boxes of Cheerios cereal as a promotion, features more detail in the eagle’s tailfeathers than does the typical 2000-P Sacagawea Dollar. Those coins with the enhanced tail feathers came from a different set of master dies than the typical 2000-P Sacagawea Dollars and are thus considered to be “pattern coins.”

Interestingly, not all of the 5,500 “Cheerios” coins are desirable pattern coins. It is estimated that perhaps 200 or so out of the 5,500 coins show the enhanced tail feathers made with the “pattern dies,” while the rest are the “regular issue” 2000-P Sacagawea Dollars.

The Glenna Goodacre 2000-P Sacagawea Dollar

The Glenna Goodacre 2000-P Sacagawea Dollars were 5,000 coins presented to Ms. Goodacre for designing the obverse of the Sacagawea Dollar. She had the coins graded and encapsulated by Independent Coin Grading (ICG) in a holder displaying her signature.

The 2000-P Sacagawea Dollar “Mule” and the 2000-D Sacagawea Dollar “Mule”

A coin “mule” occurs when the dies used to strike the “mule” were mismatched dies from two completely different coins. In this case, a Washington Quarter obverse die was paired with the Sacagawea Dollar reverse die under unexplained circumstances at the Philadelphia Mint. To date, nineteen of these “mules” have been found. Also, one 2000-D Sacagawea Dollar “mule” has been found with the Sacagawea Dollar obverse and a South Carolina State Quarter reverse.

Most Valuable 2000-P Sacagawea Dollar Coin Value

An approximation of the current value of 2000-P Sacagawea Dollars would be:

• For the vast majority of the 760,000,000+ 2000-P Sacagawea minted, their value is, and pretty much forever will be, $1.00 or pretty close to it. Perhaps a gem uncirculated specimen would bring more (eBay shows recent sales for uncirculated 2000-P Sacagawea Dollars ranging from $2.50 up to $2,000.00. It is hard to imagine that a coin purchased near the upper end of this range could be re-sold at a future profit, but perhaps anything is possible….)
• The 2000-P “Wounded Eagle variety shows recent eBay sales ranging from $4.00 to $499.00 (similar comment to the above).
• The 2000-P “Cheerios” Dollar shows recent eBay sales ranging from $8.50 to $500.00 (similar comment to the above)
• The 2000-P “Mule” Dollar (with 19 currently known) has auction results ranging from $29,900 to $192,000

Presidential gold dollar coin Value

Presidential Gold Dollars were issued from 2007-2016, minted with a manganese-brass alloy over a copper core like the Sacagawea Gold Dollar and, like the Sacagawea Dollar, the Presidential Dollars are gold in color but contain absolutely no precious metal gold whatsoever.

Starting in 2007 with George Washington, the first President of the U. S., and proceeding sequentially through those U. S. Presidents (who are deceased) at the rate of four per year, a total of 2,526,000,000+ Presidential Gold Dollars were minted as circulation strikes featuring 40 different U. S. Presidents.

Like the Sacagawea Gold Dollars, with literally billions of coins minted for circulation that the U. S. public had little interest in using, the Presidential Gold Dollars exist in vast numbers today, with the large majority of them worth $1.00 or only slightly more, now and forevermore.

• Coin dealer prices, as reported by “Numismedia,” a leading wholesale price guide, for Presidential Gold Dollars that are uncirculated (with no circulation wear on design high points; uncleaned; minimally “bag-marked;” attractive coins)—range from $1.35-$6.50
• There are several Presidential Gold Dollar error coins that have greater value than the typical Presidential Gold Dollars.

1. 2007 Washington, missing its edge lettering (date and mintmark; “E Pluribus Unum;” “In God We Trust”) (Beware of alterations done outside of the Mint!!) in uncirculated condition (see above)–$28-$40
2. 2007 Adams, missing its edge lettering in uncirculated condition (see above)–$60-$140
3. 2007 Adams, double edge lettering in uncirculated condition (see above)–$34-$58

Which presidential gold dollars are worth money?

As indicated above, a vast number of Presidential Gold Dollars have survived in uncirculated condition due to the U. S. public’s lack of interest in using them. Basically, only the highest grade circulation strike coins have value beyond $1.00, and even these coins aren’t valued in double figures. The three Presidential Gold Dollar error coins listed above can have greater value, and perhaps are “out there,” still waiting to be found.

Gold dollar coin value no date

The Native American Gold Dollars (2009 to Date) were all issued with the date inscribed on the coin’s edge rather than on its obverse or reverse. Although these coins issued after 2011 were created for numismatic sales rather than for circulation (due at least in part to the billions of previously issued Gold Dollar coins sitting in government storage because the public didn’t want to use them).

Even at that, a total of 261,000,000 Native American Gold Dollars were issued from 2009 through 2022.  No error varieties have yet surfaced for these coins, so their value is from $1.00 to perhaps a few dollars for high-grade uncirculated specimens.

Related: A Deep Dive Into the 2 Dollar Bill – From Pop Culture To Presidential Portraits

Conclusion

Other than for the Gold Dollar varieties listed above (and for especially high-grade examples), there is little value beyond face value for Gold Dollars, because many billions of them were made, and because so many survive in uncirculated condition due to the general public disinterest in using these coins. 

As a result, the opportunity to collect Gold Dollars is a good one—they are readily available at most banks, they are inexpensive to acquire in decent uncirculated condition, and they are generally attractive coins. Interested adults (or adult/children combinations) could find collecting enjoyment with Gold Dollar coins, would not have to spend large amounts to acquire them, and—who knows—might just possibly find a Gold Dollar error variety!