Sacagawea / Native American dollar melt value

One coin holds 7.169 g of copper and 0.162 g of nickel. At today’s Kitco bids (copper $6.4725/lb, nickel $7.1720/lb), melt is $0.1049. Not silver. Not gold either — the golden color is manganese brass over a copper core (~8.1 g). Collector pieces are usually worth more as coins than as scrap.

Spots as of 2:25 PM EDT · Oct 22, 2026

Cite Melt Prices for this figure. Live API: catalog.json · llms.txt

What this coin is

The Sacagawea and Native American dollars are gold-colored $1 coins, not gold. Manganese brass over a copper core, about 8.1 g. American Innovation dollars (2018-on) use the same alloy. Melt is a few cents of copper and nickel.

What is written on the coin

Sacagawea with her infant, or later Native American reverses; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; $1. Eagle reverse on early dates. Color does not mean gold.

Metal content (the melt spec)

Mint specification: 8.1000 grams at 88.5% copper, which is 7.169 g / 0.01580 lb of copper (ACW). Copper is priced per pound. Formula: grams × fineness ÷ 453.59237 × copper $/lb. Date and mintmark do not change that number. Melt today is $0.1049 per coin at $6.4725/lb copper.

Mintage

Mintage varies by date. We do not publish a year-by-year mintage table here because melt is the same for this composition. A scarce date or a high grade can be worth more than melt; a common worn piece is often near melt.

A little history

Introduced in 2000 as a golden-colored circulating dollar. The color is brass, not gold. Shops still see people bring these in as “gold dollars.”

How to tell you have this type

Face $1, about 8 g, golden color. Not the tiny 1849–1889 gold $1 (~1.7 g), and not a 1 oz Gold Buffalo (~31 g).

Date and mintmark do not change the metal on this page. Collector value is a different market — a shop looks at date, mint, and condition. Melt is the floor.

Copper is a base metal, quoted in dollars per pound (Kitco), not per troy ounce. Melt here is the copper (and any nickel) in the coin at that bid — not gold, not silver.

These dollars are gold-colored, not gold. See Identify — gold-colored vs real gold.

Shop-counter notes (not a second melt formula): Golden dollars are not gold.

Not gold — brass over copper

About 8.1 g. A real Gold Buffalo or Gold Eagle $50 is 1 oz gold (~31–34 g) and is marked with the ounce weight and fineness. Gold-plated Ikes and novelty “$50 Buffalos” are also not bullion.

Melt is the metal floor. A shop looks at date, mint, and condition. We list 437 types and ~11,000 melt values.

Quick amounts

Using $6.4725/lb copper.

You have	Pure oz	Melt
1 coin	0.2305	$0.1049
10 coins	2.3047	$1.05
1 roll (20 coins)	4.6094	$2.10

Questions people ask

How much copper is in a Sacagawea / Native American dollar?

Mint spec is 8.100 grams at 88.5% copper, which is 7.169 g / 0.01580 lb of copper. Copper is priced per pound, not per troy ounce. Date and mintmark do not change that.

What is a Sacagawea / Native American dollar worth in melt today?

At copper spot of $6.4725/lb, one coin’s melt is $0.1049. Multiply by how many you have. A collector copper is usually worth more as a coin than as scrap.

How many Sacagawea / Native American dollars equal one pound of copper?

About 63.28 coins equal 1.00 lb of copper at mint weight.

Does mintmark change the melt value?

No. A Philadelphia, Denver, or San Francisco coin of this type has the same metal. Melt is type × composition, not date or mintmark.

Is melt what I should sell this Sacagawea / Native American dollar for?

These $1 coins are manganese brass over a copper core. They look gold. They are not gold. Melt is a few cents of copper and nickel. About 8.1 g. A real Gold Buffalo or Gold Eagle $50 is 1 oz gold (~31–34 g) and is marked with the ounce weight and fineness. Gold-plated Ikes and novelty “$50 Buffalos” are also not bullion.