2009 Sacagawea Dollar Coin Value (Errors List, “P”, “D” & “S” Mint Mark Worth)

The 2009 Sacagawea Dollar marked a historic transformation in U.S. coinage when it became the first issue in the Native American Dollar series.

Authorized by the Native American $1 Coin Act signed in 2007, this redesigned coin replaced the traditional eagle reverse with Norman E. Nemeth’s depiction of Three Sisters Agriculture—showing a Native American woman planting corn, beans, and squash together.

While circulated examples typically trade near face value at $1.00, uncirculated specimens in mint state condition can reach values between $3.83 and $6.43, depending on mint mark and position variety.

Understanding the factors that influence these 2009 Sacagawea Dollar values—from mint marks and edge lettering positions to proof finishes—can help collectors make informed decisions about this significant piece of numismatic history.

 

2009 Sacagawea Dollar Value By Variety

Several varieties of the 2009 Sacagawea Dollar exist, and each commands a different value in today’s market. If you know the grade of your coin, you can find the exact price below in the Value Guides section.

Also Read: Sacagawea Dollar Value (2000 to Present)

 

Top 10 Most Valuable 2009 Sacagawea Dollar Worth Money

Error coins, particularly those with missing or weak edge lettering, dominate the upper value tier due to their scarcity and strong collector demand. These varieties can reach hundreds or even thousands of dollars, representing exceptional returns compared to face value.

Professional grading plays a crucial role in determining values, as higher grades (MS66-MS69) show exponential price increases. The presence of signatures from notable Mint officials, such as Director Edmund Moy or engraver Philip Diehl on proof specimens, adds another layer of collectibility that enhances market value.

While regular uncirculated examples remain affordable, rare edge lettering errors represent the segment’s blue-chip investments, attracting serious numismatists willing to pay substantial premiums for documented mint mistakes.

 

History of The 2009 Sacagawea Dollar

The 2009 Sacagawea Dollar emerged from legislative efforts to revitalize America’s struggling dollar coin program. On September 20, 2007, President George W. Bush signed the Native American $1 Coin Act, fundamentally transforming the Sacagawea series that had languished in circulation since its 2000 debut.

Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota championed the legislation, believing that annually changing reverse designs would generate greater public interest and circulation. The act mandated that at least 20 percent of all dollar coins struck each year feature the Sacagawea obverse paired with new reverse designs honoring Native American contributions to American history.

The inaugural 2009 Native American Dollar was officially released on January 17, 2009, at a ceremony held at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American Indian Festival. United States Mint Director Edmund Moy and Museum Director Kevin Grover attended the launch event. The new coin moved the date, mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” motto from the coin faces to incused edge lettering, creating a cleaner design.

Despite the redesign effort and reintroduction to circulation, the Native American Dollar series failed to gain traction in everyday commerce, ultimately becoming a collector-only series after 2011.

Also Read: Top 80+ Most Valuable Sacagawea Dollar Worth Money (2000-P to Present)

 

Is You 2009 Sacagawea Dollar Rare?

Use the CoinValueChecker App to instantly check your coin’s rarity and current market value based on its specific variety, grade, and any potential errors.

 

Key Features of The 2009 Sacagawea Dollar

The 2009 Sacagawea Dollar represented a fundamental departure from its predecessors, introducing Norman E. Nemeth’s revolutionary reverse design that would inaugurate the annual changing themes of the Native American Dollar series.

While retaining Goodacre’s iconic obverse, the coin incorporated innovative edge lettering and cultural storytelling that transformed it from a simple circulating piece into a numismatic tribute to Native American heritage.

The Obverse Of The 2009 Sacagawea Dollar

The obverse preserves Glenna Goodacre’s culturally sensitive portrayal of Sacagawea, a Lemhi Shoshone tribal member who guided the Lewis and Clark Expedition during 1805-6. Randy’L He-dow Teton, a contemporary Shoshone woman, served as Goodacre’s model to ensure accurate representation of Native American features.

The composition achieves visual sophistication through Sacagawea’s distinctive pose—her body angles rightward in classical three-quarter profile while her direct gaze engages viewers, establishing immediate connection.

Jean Baptiste, her infant son, rides in traditional fashion on her back, with “IN GOD WE TRUST” positioned in the left field and “LIBERTY” inscribed above Sacagawea’s head. Goodacre’s initials “G.G.” appear discreetly on the infant’s swaddling cloth at the design’s base.

The Reverse Of The 2009 Sacagawea Dollar

Norman E. Nemeth’s reverse celebrates the Three Sisters agricultural system—an ingenious Native American farming technique where corn, beans, and squash grow symbiotically in the same mound.

Bean tendrils climb the stalks while squash gourds nestle at their bases, illustrating the interdependent relationship where cornstalks provide climbing structures, beans enrich soil with nitrogen, and squash leaves suppress weeds while retaining moisture.

A Native American woman, dressed in fringed traditional clothing and moccasins, plants seeds beside three towering cornstalks.

“UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” wraps clockwise across the upper periphery in stylized lettering, with the denomination “$1” anchoring the bottom. Nemeth’s initials “NEN” appear subtly between the second and third cornstalks.

Other Features Of The 2009 Sacagawea Dollar

The 2009 Native American Dollar maintains identical specifications to earlier Sacagawea issues: 26.5mm diameter, 8.1 grams weight, with manganese brass composition of 88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, and 2% nickel clad over a pure copper core. This proprietary alloy generates the coin’s distinctive golden appearance without precious metal content.

The most significant innovation appears on the coin’s edge, where incused lettering displays the date “2009,” mint mark (P, D, or S), and motto “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” Edge lettering appears in two distinct orientations: Position A presents inscriptions upside-down when viewing the obverse face-up, while Position B displays right-side-up lettering—a technical variation that creates collectible subvarieties within the series.

Also Read: Top 100 Most Valuable Morgan Silver Dollar Coins Worth Money List

 

2009 Sacagawea Dollar Mintage & Survival Data

The Philadelphia and Denver facilities struck a combined 74.9 million business strikes, while San Francisco produced approximately 2.18 million proof specimens exclusively for collectors. These numbers represent a significant reduction from the ambitious launch quantities of 2000, reflecting the Federal Reserve’s diminished enthusiasm for dollar coin orders.

Despite substantial mintage figures, actual circulation survival rates remain remarkably low and largely undocumented. The vast majority of 2009 business strikes never entered meaningful commerce, instead languishing in Federal Reserve vaults alongside hundreds of millions of unwanted Presidential Dollars.

This disconnect between production volume and public acceptance stems from Americans’ persistent preference for paper currency and the government’s refusal to withdraw dollar bills—a strategy successfully employed by other nations when introducing dollar coins.

Also Read: Top 100 Rarest Silver Dollar Coins Worth Money (Most Expensive)

 

The Easy Way to Know Your 2009 Sacagawea Dollar Value

Check the mint mark on the edge and assess condition under good lighting. Circulated coins are worth face value, while uncirculated examples range from $3-$6. Inspect edge lettering for errors—missing or weak inscriptions can be worth hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Access instant valuations and expert error identification by downloading the CoinValueChecker App for comprehensive market pricing and professional grading insights.

 

2009 Sacagawea Dollar Value Guides

2009 Sacagawea Dollar Categories:

• 2009-P Business Strike – Philadelphia Mint circulation coins with standard finish
• 2009-D Business Strike – Denver Mint circulation coins with standard finish
• 2009-S Proof – San Francisco deep cameo proof coins exclusively for collectors

Collectors encounter three primary production formats when building 2009 Native American Dollar collections, ranging from mass-produced circulation strikes to limited-edition collector proofs that showcase the Three Sisters design with mirror-like brilliance.

 

2009-P Native American Sacagawea Dollar Value

The Philadelphia Mint struck exactly 39,200,000 business strike examples of the 2009-P Native American Dollar, making it the higher-mintage facility for the inaugural year of the redesigned series. This substantial production run positioned Philadelphia as the primary supplier of Native American Dollars intended for circulation, though Federal Reserve orders remained tepid throughout the year.

The grading census reveals extreme rarity at premium quality levels—PCGS has certified only 5 specimens in MS68 grade as of September 2025.

The auction record for a 2009-P specimen stands at $1,301, achieved by an MS68 example sold through Stack’s Bowers on May 30, 2013, demonstrating significant collector demand for flawless strikes. More recently, MS68 examples have traded between $300 and $400 at major auctions, while MS67 coins typically sell for $10 to $30.

Top-graded 2009-P specimens have achieved notable premiums at major auctions, with MS68 examples setting price benchmarks for this Philadelphia issue.

Recent market activity demonstrates steady collector interest in 2009-P Native American Dollars.

 

2009-D Native American Sacagawea Dollar Value

Grading services received substantially fewer Denver submissions compared to Philadelphia coins, contributing to current population disparities.

Besides, Post-strike handling procedures at the Denver facility created widespread contact marks and bagmarks that compromise surface quality, making MS68 examples extraordinarily scarce.

As of January 2025, NGC has certified only a single specimen at the MS68 level, while reports 242 coins in MS67 grade with both Position A and Position B combined. The auction record for this Denver issue stands at an impressive $1,995 for an MS69 example sold via eBay on January 1, 2021—a remarkable premium that underscores extreme rarity at superb gem levels.

Interestingly, the 2009-D Satin Finish specimens included in special mint sets demonstrate superior strike quality compared to business strikes, with examples readily available up to SP68 condition, though SP69 or finer grades remain very scarce.

This chart displays the auction prices achieved for 2009-D Sacagawea Dollars across different grades.

This chart tracks the activity frequency for 2009-D Sacagawea Dollars over the past year.

 

2009-S Native American DCAM Sacagawea Dollar Value

All coins in the 2009-S proof sets were specifically intended to achieve either Cameo or Deep Cameo finish, representing the Mint’s commitment to delivering premium-quality collector products.

The grading distribution reveals exceptional production quality, with most specimens falling within the PR67-PR69 Deep Cameo range.
Early PR70 examples sold for approximately $32.88 at auction in February 2019, demonstrating strong but accessible collector interest.

The proof finish dramatically enhances Nemeth’s Three Sisters agricultural scene, with frosted corn stalks, bean tendrils, and squash gourds standing in sharp relief against gleaming background fields.

Deep Cameo proof specimens have achieved steady pricing across grade levels.

Market activity reflects consistent demand for San Francisco proofs.

Also Read: 17 Rare Dollar Coin Errors List with Pictures (By Year)

 

Rare 2009 Sacagawea Dollar Error List

Edge lettering errors represent the most significant value opportunities among 2009 Native American Dollars, with dramatic premiums commanded by specimens that escaped the Mint’s secondary edge inscription process.

1. Missing Edge Lettering Error

During production, business strike coins are placed in large hoppers and transported to edge-lettering machines for inscription—occasionally, mint employees fail to process certain coins through this secondary operation, allowing error coins to escape into circulation, resulting in completely smooth edges lacking the date, mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” motto that should appear on all 2009 Native American Dollars.

The first reported specimen was submitted to PCGS on March 6, 2009, by authorized dealer and error expert Fred Weinberg, who subsequently sold it for just under $10,000. GreatCollections auction records show 17 missing edge lettering examples have sold over 15 years, with prices ranging from $38 for MS66 specimens to $461 for MS68 grades.

2. Doubled Edge Lettering Error

The doubled edge lettering variety occurs when coins receive two partial or complete impressions from the edge-lettering machine, creating overlapping inscriptions along the rim. This mechanical malfunction happens when coins fail to eject properly from the Schuler machine and receive a second strike, or when the machine’s timing mechanism malfunctions during the inscription process.

Examples may show complete doubling of all edge elements—date, mint mark, and motto—or partial doubling affecting only certain portions of the inscription. The degree of doubling visibility significantly impacts value, with bold, unmistakable examples commanding substantially higher premiums than subtle instances requiring magnification to detect.

Collectors should carefully examine edge inscriptions under magnification, as authentic doubled edge lettering shows clear separation between the two impressions rather than simple strike weakness or die deterioration.

3. Partial Edge Lettering Error

Partial edge lettering errors exhibit incomplete inscriptions where only fragments of the required date, mint mark, and motto appear on the coin’s edge. This error typically results from coins becoming misaligned or partially obstructed during the edge-lettering process, preventing complete inscription transfer.

Unlike missing edge lettering where the rim remains entirely smooth, partial edge examples display portions of letters or complete words while other sections show no inscription whatsoever. The configuration varies dramatically between specimens—some may show only the first few letters of “E PLURIBUS UNUM” while completely lacking the date and mint mark, while others might display a full date but missing motto elements.

Certified examples are relatively scarce in the marketplace, with PCGS-graded specimens in MS65 commanding approximately $300 based on recent auction activity.

4. Weak Edge Lettering Errors

 

Where To Sell Your 2009 Sacagawea Dollar?

Having established your coins’ value, you might be asking where to easily sell them online. I’ve put together a detailed list of recommended platforms, featuring their overviews, benefits, and limitations.

Check out now: Best Places To Sell Coins Online (Pros & Cons)

 

FAQ About 2009 Sacagawea Dollar

1. Why does my 2009 Sacagawea Dollar have the date on the edge instead of the front?

The 2009 Native American Dollar introduced edge lettering as part of the redesign mandated by the Native American $1 Coin Act. This moved the date, mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” motto from the coin’s face to its rim, creating a cleaner appearance and allowing more space for the Three Sisters Agriculture design.

2. What’s the difference between Position A and Position B varieties?

Position A coins display edge lettering upside-down when the obverse faces up, while Position B shows right-side-up lettering. Both varieties were produced in roughly equal quantities as edge lettering orientation occurs randomly during the minting process. Neither position commands a significant premium over the other in the collector market.

3. Are 2009 Sacagawea Dollars still in circulation?

While 74.9 million business strikes were produced, most never entered active circulation and remain in Federal Reserve vaults. Finding one in pocket change is extremely rare since banks didn’t order significant quantities and the public preferred paper dollars. Most available examples come from mint sets or direct Mint purchases.