The United States Mint Coins and Medals Program

Connecting America through Coins

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The 2012 Native American $1 Coin

The Program

Beginning in 2009, the United States Mint began minting and issuing $1 coins featuring designs celebrating the important contributions made by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the history and development of the United States. The Native American $1 Coin Program was created by the Native American $1 Coin Act (Public Law 110-82).

The Designs

The obverse (heads side) design remains the central figure of the "Sacagawea" design first produced in 2000 with the inscriptions LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST. The reverse (tails) design changes each year to celebrate an important contribution of Indian tribes or individual Native Americans with the inscriptions $1 and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Like Presidential $1 Coins, Native American $1 Coins feature a distinctive edge and golden color, with edge-lettering of the year, mint mark and the inscription E PLURIBUS UNUM.

The 2009 Native American $1 Coin reverse features a Native American woman planting seeds in a field of corn, beans and squash. The 2010 Native American $1 Coin reverse features an image of the Hiawatha Belt with five arrows bound together and the additional inscriptions HAUDENOSAUNEE and GREAT LAW OF PEACE. The 2011 Native American $1 Coin reverse features the hands of the Supreme Sachem Ousamequin Massasoit and Governor John Carver, symbolically offering the ceremonial peace pipe after the initiation of the first formal written peace alliance between the Wampanoag tribe and the European settlers. The additional inscription is WAMPANOAG TREATY 1621. The 2012 Native American $1 Coin reverse features a Native American and horse in profile with horses running in the background, representing the historical spread of the horse.

Timeline of Events

The United States Mint will prepare a timeline of events and personal contributions for the program until at least 2016. This timeline will be used to create candidate designs for consideration. At various stages in the evaluation process, the United States Mint will consult with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Congressional Native American Caucus, National Congress of American Indians and U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) is responsible for reviewing proposed themes and designs. The Treasury Department makes the final selection of designs.

Overall $1 Coin Production

In general, five distinct $1 coins will be issued each year—four Presidential $1 Coins and one Native American $1 Coin. (Note: In December 2011, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner directed that the United States Mint suspend minting and issuing circulating Presidential $1 Coins. However, the United States Mint will continue to offer several products that contain Native American $1 Coins and Presidential $1 Coins through our traditional direct numismatic sales channels.)

Until the conclusion of the Presidential $1 Coin Program, the Native American $1 Coins will be issued, to the maximum extent practicable, in chronological order of the events or lives of the persons being featured on the reverse design.

After the completion of the Presidential $1 Coin Program, the Native American $1 Coin Program may continue. It will feature designs in any order determined to be appropriate by the Treasury Department after consultation with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, the Congressional Native American Caucus, the National Congress of American Indians and CCAC.