2008-P Sacagawea Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,820,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,820,000
- Metal
- Manganese brass
- Weight
- 8.1 g
- Diameter
- 26.49 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2008-P Sacagawea Dollar worth?
Collectors pay a real premium for this date, worn or not, because far fewer were made than usual. Uncirculated pieces go much higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2008-P Sacagawea Dollar rare?
- Somewhat. 1,820,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 2008-P Sacagawea Dollar silver?
- No. It's manganese brass (88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel). Circulating silver dollars ended with the 1935 Peace dollar. Some Eisenhower dollars with an S mint mark were made in 40% silver for collectors, but circulation Ike dollars are copper-nickel clad.
- Where is the mint mark on a 2008 Sacagawea Dollar?
- On the obverse, below the date. On this coin the mark is P, for Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 2008 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Philadelphia issue had a smaller mintage than the 2008-P.
- How many 2008-P Sacagawea Dollar coins were made?
- 1,820,000.
What to check on your 2008-P
- Make sure the mint mark really is a P. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 2008-D (1.8 million made).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 2008-S Sacagawea Dollar Proof (1,998,108 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. Golden dollars tarnish easily, so bright original color matters. Check Sacagawea's cheek and the eagle's feathers for wear.
The story of the 2008-P
Philadelphia made 1,820,000 in 2008, down from 3.6 million in 2007. It turned out to be Philadelphia's last Sacagawea Dollar for circulation.
2008-D came to 1.8 million, so neither mint's 2008 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 2013-P Treaty with the Delawares Native American Dollar (1,820,000) and the 2013-D Treaty with the Delawares Native American Dollar (1,820,000).
Philadelphia struck the Sacagawea Dollar in 23 issues between 2000 and 2022. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 2022-P Ely S. Parker Native American Dollar (980,000). No Sacagawea Dollar of the 2000s had a smaller run.
The golden dollar and the soaring eagle (2000 to 2008)
The Sacagawea dollar launched in 2000 with a large publicity push, including dollars handed out through a cereal promotion and at a national retail chain. Philadelphia and Denver struck well over a billion coins that first year. People liked the gold color but kept spending paper dollars and the coins piled up in bank vaults.
From 2002 the Mint stopped shipping Sacagawea dollars for general circulation and sold them to collectors in rolls, bags and sets instead. That is why mintages drop from hundreds of millions in 2000 and tens of millions in 2001 to a few million a year after that and why later dates from these years are rarely found in change. Uncirculated coins with bright, untoned color are the ones collectors want.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2008
The 50 State Quarters program ended with Hawaii. The Lincoln Memorial cent was struck for the last time.
How to recognize it
Glenna Goodacre's obverse shows Sacagawea looking over her shoulder while carrying her infant son, Jean Baptiste. From 2000 to 2008 the reverse showed a soaring eagle by Thomas Rogers. From 2009 each year has a new reverse on a Native American theme and the date and mint mark moved to the edge. The golden color comes from a manganese brass outer layer.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Sacagawea Dollar (2000–present) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2008 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,820,000 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Composition | Manganese brass (88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.1 grams |
| Diameter | 26.49 mm |
| Edge | Plain (2000–2008); lettered with the date and mint mark from 2009 |
| Designer | Glenna Goodacre (obverse); Thomas D. Rogers (eagle reverse, 2000–2008); Native American reverses by various artists from 2009 |
Other 2008 Sacagawea Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-P Sacagawea Dollar | 1,820,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2008-D Sacagawea Dollar | 1,820,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2008-S Sacagawea Dollar Proof | 1,998,108 | Proof | – |
Mintage: Sacagawea dollar (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.