The year 2000 was special in numismatics, with the introduction of the Sacagawea dollar named after a teenage Lemhi Shoshone woman who aided the Lewis and Clark Expedition exploring the Louisiana Territory. The design was innovative and the occasion celebrated.
To mark the occasion in 1999, the U.S. Mint partnered with General Mills for a “treasure hunt,” producing some 5,000 Sacagawea dollars with one placed in every 2000 Cheerios boxes.
Cheerios Dollar
Dated 2000-P, the coin was a prototype. Veins of the tail feathers are distinct in the prototype but missing in the regular coin. Here’s an illustration with the Cheerios coin on the right:
Uncirculated examples of the prototype are worth thousands of dollars, beginning in low mint state MS60 retailing for $1,550 and $11,500 in MS68. Many people who bought the cereal containing a coin eventually spent them, so you can still find them in circulation, although that would be a rare occurrence. Remember, only 2000 of the prototype were minted. No one knows how many were spent.
Wounded Eagle
There is another variety containing a die chip in the breast of the eagle, as if it had been struck by an arrow or dart. Here is an illustration of the “Wounded Eagle” variety:
Note the die chips on the breast and area of the breast. This is a much desired variety that can still be found in pocket change.
Mules
There are also two “mules,” or coins from another denomination appearing on the Sacagawea dollars. Depicted below, the one on the left has a Washington Quarter obverse and a Sacagawea reverse. PCGS has graded 5 of these with prices into the hundreds of thousands. The mule on the right features a 2000-D Sacagawea obverse and South Carolina State Quarter reverse. PCGS has holdered only one of this type, selling in 2022 for $66,000 at Heritage Auctions.
Here are PCGS retail and auction prices for these varieties:
VIP Strikes
In advance of the release of the 2000 Sacagawea dollars, the Philadelphia Mint invited dignitaries, hobbyists and special guests to a striking ceremony. Those in attendance were sent these special strike dollars after the 2000 coins were officially released by the mint. Appropriately, these have become known as the “VIP” Special Strike dollars known for their satin surface and sharply struck devices. Another first strike ceremony was held at the Denver Mint in early 2000. Here is an illustration:
Estimates are some 600 Philly pieces and 120 Denver pieces were sent to respective attendees. So again, these are especially rare. Theoretically, a few of these could have made it into circulation by mistake. But odds are again you never will find them in pocket change or bank rolls. PCGS has only graded three Philadelphia VIP strikes and two Denver strikes. As you can imagine, these are ultra rarities.
Goodacre Presentations
Finally, the designer of the coin, Glenna Goodacre, received a $5,000 commission paid with and prepared by special strikes with a burnished satiny appearance, close to the VIP examples. Some of these still contain the original ceremonial holder by the U.S. Mint. Many also were graded by ICG with some crossed over later to NGC, PCGS and ANACS. You can purchase these for reasonable prices in the hundreds rather than thousands of dollars for a Gem example.
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