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Eisenhower Dollars, 1971-1978

Liberty Seated Dollars, 1840-1873

Morgan Dollars, 1878-1921

Peace Dollars, 1921-1935

Sacagawea Dollars, 2000-present

Sacagawea Dollars, 2000-present

Authorized by the United States $1 Coin Act of 1997, the new dollar coin replaces the current Susan B. Anthony Dollar Coin, which has circulated since 1979. The new dollar coin will be gold in color, have the same diameter as the Susan B. Anthony Dollar Coin, bear a smooth edge (in contrast to the reeded edge of the Susan B. Anthony Dollar Coin) and have a wider border than existing U.S. circulating coinage. The usage of a gold-colored alloy, the smooth edge and the wider border will ensure the new dollar coin is easily discernible for the visually challenged.

Glenna Goodacre's obverse design depicts Sacagawea - the young Shoshone woman who during the years 1804-1806 assisted the Lewis and Clark expedition en route from the Ohio River Valley to the Pacific Ocean and back. The portrait shows Sacagawea in a three-quarter position with her baby, Jean Baptiste, on her back, and the inscriptions "Liberty," "In God We Trust" and the year of issue, 2000, as required by law. Goodacre, from Santa Fe, New Mexico, is best known in Washington as the designer of the Vietnam Women's Memorial. Ms. Goodacre based her obverse design on historical research and the likeness of a young Shoshone woman who served as a model.

Tom Rogers' reverse design depicts a soaring bald eagle and seventeen stars, representing the number of states at the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the inscriptions United States of American, E Pluribus Unum and One Dollar. His previous coin designs include the obverse of the Robert F. Kennedy Commemorative Silver Dollar, the reverse of the American Eagle Platinum Coin, and the reverse of the Vietnam Veterans' Commemorative Silver Dollar.

The new coin features distinguishing traits including: a golden color, extra-wide border, smooth edge like the nickel's, and specially designed alloy. Specifically, the Golden Dollar is: 8.1 grams in weight, 2 mm thick, and 26.5 mm in diameter. The coin's physical makeup is a three-layer composite construction - pure copper sandwiched between and metallurgically bonded to outer layers of manganese brass. This alloy is a golden-colored material composed of: 77% copper, 12% zinc, 7% manganese, and 4% nickel. Including the copper core, the Golden Dollar's overall composition is: 88.5% copper, 6.0% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel.

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