A proposed design recommended by both the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and United States Mint for the reverse of the 2014 Native American dollar was approved Sept. 23 by Acting Deputy Treasury Secretary Mary J. Miller.

The design depicts a Native American man offering a pipe, while his wife offers provisions of fish, corn, roots and gourds. In the background is a stylized image of the face of Capt. William Clark’s compass highlighting the northwest quadrant the Lewis and Clark Expedition explored.

The reverse design best represents, according to U.S. Mint officials, the approved theme: “Native Hospitality Ensured the Success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.”

In making their final recommendation, U.S. Mint officials noted the design “best supports the theme and is symbolic of the many Native American families who offered aid, support and friendship to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, essential elements to the success of the mission.”

The approved reverse design will be paired with sculptor Glenna Goodacre’s common obverse depicting Sacagawea and her son, Jean-Baptiste that was used on the Sacagawea dollar from 2000 to 2008. The Goodacre design was adopted for continued use on the obverse for the Native American dollar series, introduced in 2009.

Theme development

The approved reverse design was selected from among seven designs considered to be historically accurate. An eighth design was removed from consideration after being deemed historically inaccurate by U.S. Mint officials and consulted entities.

Specific reasons for the removal of the design from consideration were not disclosed by U.S. Mint officials.

Themes for the Native American $1 Coin Program are developed by the U.S. Mint in consultation with the National Museum of the American Indian under provisions of the program’s Reverse Candidate Theme and Design Evaluation Process.

Themes are selected after consultation with the National Congress of the American Indian, U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Congressional Native American Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the CCAC.

Under provisions of the Native American $1 Coin Act, Public Law 110-82, reverse designs are selected by the Treasury secretary or his designated representative after consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts and the other consulting entities. All but the CNAC submitted its reverse design preferences to the U.S. Mint.

The CFA made its pick following a July 18 meeting. The CCAC made its recommendation July 23 during the first day of a two-day session.

Coin availability

Native American dollars are struck in circulation quality for sale to collectors, but not for general circulation. Production for circulation was suspended in Dec. 13, 2011, at the same time that Presidential dollar circulation production was suspended.

Native American dollar production represented 20 percent of overall dollar production for circulation until dollar production was suspended by Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner. Geithner cited the more than 1.3 billion dollar coins languishing in Federal Reserve Bank and contracted vault space in making his decision to indefinitely suspend dollar coin production for circulation.

The U.S. Mint offers for sale 25-coin rolls of Native American dollars struck in circulation quality. The Mint also sells the coins in 100-coin bags, and 250-coin and 500-coin boxes of rolled coins.

Native American dollars are also struck in Proof and Uncirculated Mint set versions for inclusion in other numismatic product options.

Visit the U.S. Mint’s website at www.usmint.gov. ¦