The Sacagawea dollar is a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 dollar coin that has been minted every year since 2000. These coins have a copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

 core clad by manganese brass, giving them a distinctive golden color. The coin features an obverse

Obverse and reverse

Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...

 by Glenna Goodacre

Glenna Goodacre

Glenna Maxey Goodacre is a sculptor well known for having designed the obverse of the Sacagawea dollar that entered circulation in the United States in 2000...

. The reverse design has varied, from 2000 to 2008 featuring an eagle design by Thomas D. Rogers

Thomas D. Rogers

Thomas D. Rodgers is the designer of the reverse side of the 2000-2008 United States Golden dollar coins, or Sacagawea dollars. Rogers holds an A.A.S. degree with a major in commercial art, and joined the United States Mint in 1991. He is now retired from the mint, and as of 2003 was residing in...

. In 2009, the reverse of the Sacagawea dollar began changing yearly, with each design in the series depicting a different Native American accomplishment

The coin was first suggested as a replacement for the Susan B. Anthony dollar

Susan B. Anthony dollar

The Susan B. Anthony dollar is a United States coin minted from 1979 to 1981, and again in 1999. It depicts women's suffrage campaigner Susan B. Anthony on a dollar coin. It was the first circulating U.S. coin with the portrait of an actual woman rather than an allegorical female figure such as...

, which proved useful for vending machine operators and mass transit systems despite being unpopular with the public.