The United States Mint is preparing to launch new products containing 2022 Native American $1 Coins and, in doing so, has published images of the dollar which depicts Ely S. Parker, a U.S. Army officer, engineer, and tribal diplomat, who served as military secretary to Ulysses S. Grant during the U.S. Civil War.
The dollar series features annually changing reverses that celebrate contributions made by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the history and development of the United States. This year’s dollar shows Parker in Army uniform with a quill pen and book. The pen and book, along with a likeness of Parker’s signature, are symbols of his experience as an expert communicator.
Around the design are inscriptions of "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and "$1." There are also inscriptions to the side of "TONAWANDA SENECA" and "HA-SA-NO-AN-DA," recognizing his tribe and the name given to him at birth.
Created by Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Designer Paul C. Balan and sculpted by U.S. Mint Chief Engraver Joseph Menna, the design was selected from among 17 candidates.
Authorized under Public Law 110-82 and introduced in 2009, the Mint’s Native American $1 Coin Program has celebrated:
- 2009 – Three Sisters Agriculture
- 2010 – Great Tree of Peace and the Iroquois Confederacy
- 2011 – Great Wampanoag Nation
- 2012 – Trade Routes
- 2013 – Treaty with the Delawares
- 2014 – Native Hospitality Ensured the Success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
- 2015 – Contributions of the Kahnawake Mohawk and Mohawk Akwesasne communities to "high iron" construction work
- 2016 – Contributions of the Native American Code Talkers in World War I and World War II
- 2017 – Sequoyah, inventor of the Cherokee Syllabary
- 2018 – Sports legend Jim Thorpe, a member of the Sac and Fox tribe
- 2019 – Mary Golda Ross, the first known Native American female engineer, and a space-walking astronaut symbolic of Native American astronauts
- 2020 – Elizabeth Peratrovich for her contributions to the passage of the 1945 Anti-Discrimination Law by the Alaskan territorial government
- 2021 – Honoring the service of American Indians in the U.S. military
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Common Obverse Design
Obverses (heads side) of Native American $1 Coins share the same portrait of "Sacagawea" as designed by sculptor Glenna Goodacre. The familiar image has been around since the Sacagawea golden dollar debuted in 2000. Inscriptions around Sacagawea read "LIBERTY" and "IN GOD WE TRUST."
An edge inscription indicates the year of issue, mint mark, and the motto "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
Upcoming U.S. Mint Dollar Products
Dollar coins have not been released into circulation since 2011. The U.S. Mint manufactures them solely for its numismatic products sold here. The first U.S. Mint products with 2022-dated Native American dollars will be available for order on Feb. 9. Options will include 25-coin rolls, 100-coin bags, and 250-coin boxes containing circulating quality dollars produced at U.S. Mint production facilities in Denver and Philadelphia.
