2012-S Trade Routes of the 17th Century Native American Dollar Proof
Proof struck at the San Francisco Mint · 1,189,445 made
- Mintage
- 1,189,445
- 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 2012-S Trade Routes of the 17th Century Native American Dollar Proof worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2012-S Trade Routes of the 17th Century Native American Dollar Proof rare?
- Not especially. The Mint made 1,189,445 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 2012-S Trade Routes of the 17th Century Native American Dollar Proof 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 2012 Sacagawea Dollar?
- On the edge, incused with the date. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- How many 2012-S Trade Routes of the 17th Century Native American Dollar proofs were made?
- 1,189,445.
What to check on your 2012-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 2012-P (2.8 million made).
- 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.
Proofs from 2012 come with and without frosted devices. Coins with strong contrast are labeled Cameo or Deep Cameo and are worth more.
The story of the 2012-S Trade Routes of the 17th Century
The first Native American reverses (2009 to 2015)
In 2009 the reverse began changing every year to honor a Native American contribution to American history: the Three Sisters of corn, beans and squash in 2009, the Great Law of Peace in 2010, the Wampanoag treaty in 2011, trade routes in 2012, the treaty with the Delawares in 2013, Native hospitality in 2014 and the Mohawk ironworkers in 2015. Glenna Goodacre's portrait of Sacagawea stayed on the obverse.
The date and mint mark moved to the edge in 2009, lettered with E PLURIBUS UNUM, so the edge is where you check which mint made your coin. A law of 2007 required that at least a fifth of all dollar coins struck each year carry the Native American design, which kept production going even when demand was low.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2012
The Mint stopped striking Presidential dollars for circulation after the Federal Reserve reported a huge stockpile of unused dollar coins. They were struck for collectors only from 2012.
How to recognize it
The Trade Routes of the 17th Century design
The 2012 reverse shows a Native American man and a horse in profile, with more horses running in the background. It recalls the extensive trade networks that linked Native nations across North America long before European contact. During the 17th century those routes carried horses northward from Spanish settlements in the Southwest. Horses spread from nation to nation and transformed travel, hunting and trade across the Plains and beyond.
The Sacagawea Dollar design
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 | 2012 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 1,189,445 |
| 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 2012 Sacagawea Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-P Trade Routes of the 17th Century Native American Dollar | 2,800,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2012-D Trade Routes of the 17th Century Native American Dollar | 3,080,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2012-S Trade Routes of the 17th Century Native American Dollar Proof | 1,189,445 | 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.