The 25th Anniversary of the Sacagawea Dollar

A Legacy of Glenna Goodacre and the U.S. Mint

Coins are a tangible link to our history and a reflection of our national identity. They carry symbols of who we are and what we value as a society.

– Paul Volker

With the stroke of a pen, President William Jefferson Clinton signed into effect the United States $1 Coin Act of 1997 on the first day of December. The law called the U.S. Mint to make a coin to replace the Susan B. Anthony Dollar Coin. The new dollar coin would be made with 77% copper, 12% zinc, 7% manganese, and 4% nickel. It would have a “golden” color to distinguish it from the quarter—a criticism of the Susan B. Anthony dollar—and depict an image of Sacagawea, a Native American teenager who served as an interpreter on the famous 19th century Lewis and Clark Expedition across North America.

The design for the new dollar coin would involve a nationwide competition among invited artists, including U.S. Mint staff artists, who would submit a design to be selected by the United States Commission of Fine Arts. Several months later, Glenna Goodacre, a portraitist and sculptor originally from Lubbock, Texas, won the commission to create a portrait of Sacagawea on the obverse or front of the new coin.

The U.S. dollar is not just a currency; it’s a symbol of America’s position in the world.

– George Soros

Already nationally recognized for her work, including the Vietnam Women’s Memorial on the National Mall, Goodacre’s artistry on the Sacagawea $1 coins continues in Native American $1 Coin Program. For over 20 years, a piece of United States history conveyed through Goodacre’s creativity has been in the pocket of millions of Americans and represented the United States in worldwide commerce.

2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the Sacagawea $1 Coin Program. In commemoration, this exhibition highlights historic dollar coins, the Native American $1 Coin Program, Glenna Goodacre’s artistry, and the symbolic and definitive role of United States currency in the world today.