Sacagawea dollars were developed for general circulation by the United States Mint. These coins were first released to the public in 2000.
The goal of the dollar coin was to replace the paper dollar bill within circulation. The well known facts state that coins last much longer in circulation due to their durability. Over time, the higher cost of coins is paid for by the lower replacement costs. The government could conceivably save money if the circulation of dollar coins gained widespread acceptance. Usually attributed to the continued presence of paper dollars in circulation, the coins never caught on.
The face design of the coin series is that of the Shoshone woman, Sacagawea, with her infant son on her back. She was the wife of a French trapper, Toussaint Charbonneau. Together they had a son named Jean-Baptiste. The entire family would accompany the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their expedition to the pacific coast commissioned by President Jefferson. The family was picked up in the spring of 1805. For the next year and a half, they traveled up the Missouri River, over the Rockies, and to the Pacific Coast, then back. The Charbonneau family settled in South Dakota at the end of the journey in August 1806.
The portrait on on the obverse of the coin is actually based on a teenage Shoshone woman who served as a model. win free gift cards . There are no known portraits of the real historical figure, so designer Glenna Goodacre chose this approach. Before the final selection of this design, many other concepts and renditions were considered. Goodacre’s depiction of Sacagawea and child was the popular favorite amongst the available choices. The reverse design was by Thomas D. Rodgers.
After nine years of mintage, the format of the Sacagawea Dollar was changed. Instead of the image of the eagle on the reverse, a different design was created annually to celebrate the contributions of Native Americans towards the development of the United States. The original obverse portrait did remain in place. For 2009, the design featured the Three Sisters method of planting. For 2010, it featured a representation of the Iroquois Confederacy. Most recently, the Wampanoag Treaty was shown with an image of the hands of the Massasoit and Governor John Carver exchanging the peace pipe. Since the start of the rotating reverse designs, mintage levels have been higher.
The Sacagawea Dollars are a favorite of modern coin collectors. The latest release is the 2011 Sacagawea Dollar depicting the Wampanoag Treaty of 1621.