Sacagawea Mint Mark Collection

The Sacagawea Golden Dollar was the first circulating coin to feature an identifiable Native American. It features Sacagawea, the Native American guide on the historic 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition that was the first to take an overland route to the Pacific and therefore opened the America West to exploration and settlement. The coin was first made in 2000, but starting in 2002 the U.S. Mint restricted the mintage and made the coins available only to collectors. No coins were released into circulation, so they were literally impossible to find in pocket change. The general public never saw them and never knew they existed. The coins are golden color to make the easily distinguishable from other coins. The last Sacagawea Golden Dollar was made in 2008; it was replaced in 2009 with the Native American Dollar. Coins were made in Uncirculated quality at both the Philadelphia Mint (small P mint mark below the date) and Denver (D), while Proof coins were made at the San Francisco Mint (S). This set includes one coin from each mint for a complete set of the three different types of Sacagawea Dollars. The reverse of the coin features an American eagle in flight, as well as 17 stars to symbolize the 17 states in the Union at the time of Sacagawea's journey with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The key to this collection is the Proof coin, which is the highest quality coin struck by the U.S. Mint. Proofs are double-struck to bring out the high-relief images and mirror-like backgrounds. Proofs were are made available only to collectors and were not released into circulation. They were included in the annual U.S. Proof Sets, so they were not made available individually. The only way to get one was to break open an original Proof Set. The coins are individually encapsulated to protect their pristine finishes, and the set of three coins is delivered in a custom coin presentation case.