2008 Sacagawea Dollar

2008-P Sacagawea Dollar

The 2008 Sacagawea Dollar represents the final year before the design was changed and the series became known as the Native American Dollar. Interestingly, due to some quirks of the law, the coin almost was not released due to a lack of legal authorization to produce the coins.

The US Mint originally intended to release bags and rolls of the 2008 Sacagawea Dollar for sale to collectors on January 17, 2008. Before going on sale, the offering was pulled when the US Mint realized that they did not have the legal authority to produce the coins. The new law, which would relaunch the series as the Native American Dollar, did not provide for the production of coins until 2009. Separate authorizing legislation was ultimately passed on February 29, 2008, and the US Mint announced that the coins would go on sale April 28, 2008.

Once again 25-coin rolls from either the Philadelphia or Denver Mint were offered for $35.95 per roll. Additionally, 250-coin bags were available from either Mint, priced at $319.95 per bag. Later in the year, the US Mint would release the 2008 Proof Sets, which contained the 2008-S Proof Sacagawea Dollar, and the 2008 Uncirculated Mint Set, which contained the satin finish versions of the coin from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints.

This final year of the original design represented the lowest mintages of the series. Only 1,820,000 coins were produced at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. Late in the year, the US Mint began production of the 2009 dated Native American Dollars, which would debut and replace the Sacagawea Dollar.