Counterfeit U.S. $1 Coins Exist - Check Your Pocket Change!

Think about it: when was the last time anyone handed you a U.S. Sacagawea $1 dollar coin in change? Or, before that, a Susan B. Anthony or one of the new Presidential series $1 coins?

If you can actually reply with an instance then you are a rare person indeed. The fact is, U.S. dollar coins do not freely circulate as intended. Oh, they have a special interest following among coin collectors, and perhaps the Presidential $1 coins will be in greater demand than the 'Susie's' or 'Sacs' ever were because their life span will include all our Presidents on them, making them a collectible series.

But caveat emptor, folks. Counterfeit Sacagawea dollars exist!

Okay, chances are you probably will not see one in the U.S., but they are available and in circulation in parts of South America. More about this further down. Let's set up this story with some interesting background.

The much touted Sacagawea Dollar coin, once confusingly marketed by politically correct supporters at the U.S. Mint as the "Golden Dollar," and the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin were both dismal and expensive failures, especially the Sac dollar.

So unpopular is the Sac dollar that almost from the first day they were struck in 2000, millions of Sacagawea dollars began cluttering up mint or Treasury Department vaults. They just weren't in demand in the marketplace. Consequently, the only ones produced in recent years have been specimens for inclusion in Mint Sets or specifically for sale to collectors and dealers....with a big emphasis on the latter, who believe it or not, retail them at prices above face value.

But wait a minute. If these coins are so unpopular and unwanted why would anyone spend the money and effort counterfeiting them? You read that right: counterfeiting Sacagawea dollars! Almost as fast as bags of genuine Sacagawea dollars were being unloaded in Ecuador, counterfeiters in Columbia were sending bags of their bogus Sac dollars to the same Ecuadorian airport.