United States dollar coins have undergone several design changes over the years.
- Obverse (heads): Features a portrait of Sacagawea carrying her infant son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Sacagawea was a Shoshone guide on the Lewis and Clark expedition.
- Reverse (tails): The early Sacagawea dollars (2000-2008) featured a soaring eagle. Since 2009, the Native American $1 Coin Program introduces a new reverse design each year to honor important contributions of Indian tribes or individuals. For example, the 2023 coin honors ballerina Maria Tallchief and American Indians in ballet.
- Color: These coins have a distinctive golden color due to their manganese-brass alloy composition.
- Edge: From 2000-2008, the Sacagawea dollars had a plain edge. Beginning in 2009, the Native American dollars feature edge lettering with the year, mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM”.
- Obverse (heads): Features the likeness and name of a U.S. President. The coins are issued in the order the Presidents served.
- Reverse (tails): Depicts a dramatic rendition of the Statue of Liberty.
- Color: These coins are also golden in color.
- Edge: The edge inscriptions include the year, mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM”. From 2007-2008, “In God We Trust” also appeared on the edge, but it was moved to the obverse in 2009.
- Obverse (heads): Features a representation of the Statue of Liberty in profile.
- Reverse (tails): Each year, four reverse designs celebrate an invention or innovator from each state, territory, and the District of Columbia. For example, the Arkansas coin features Raye Montague visualizing a United States Navy frigate.
- Color: These coins also have a golden color.
- Edge: The year of minting, mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” are incused on the edge.
In summary, modern dollar coins are generally golden in color and feature images of significant American figures, symbols, or achievements on either side. The specific design details on both the front and back, as well as the edge inscriptions, vary depending on the particular series of the coin.
Do they still make a $1 coin?
About the American Innovation $1 Coin Program
Four new $1 coins with distinctive reverse designs will be released each year from 2019 through 2032 in the order the states ratified the Constitution of the United States or were admitted to the Union.
How to tell if a $1 coin is worth money?
Good point! U.S. dollar coins worth money are hard to identify at a glance. Their value lies in where they were minted, their historical significance, mintage, precious metal content, whether they are error coins, and their condition. Understanding this is critical if you are thinking of selling your dollar coins.