For more than two decades, a small gold-colored coin sat untouched in the back of a wooden drawer in a modest American household. Forgotten amid old keys, faded receipts, and loose change, this particular Sacagawea dollar coin has recently captured national attention — after being appraised at a jaw-dropping $820,000.
The coin, a 2000-P Sacagawea dollar, wasn’t just any ordinary piece of change. It turned out to be one of the rare and elusive “cheerios dollars,” named after a limited promotional campaign that placed 5,500 of these coins inside cereal boxes as part of a U.S. Mint and General Mills collaboration back in 1999. Most of the public never realized the hidden value of these coins — until now.
A Routine Cleaning Turns Into a Shocking Discovery
According to the family who discovered it, the coin was found during a recent spring-cleaning session. “We were going through old drawers, donating stuff we didn’t need,” said the owner, who has asked to remain anonymous. “We found this coin inside a little zip bag marked ‘Lucky Dollar’ that belonged to my late grandmother. At first, we thought it was just a novelty or a souvenir.”
But something about the coin felt different — the detailing on the eagle seemed unusually sharp, and the finish was much brighter than other Sacagawea coins they had seen. A quick internet search led them to suspect it could be one of the rare Cheerios variants.
The Cheerios Dollar Mystery
Back in early 2000, as part of the effort to promote the new Sacagawea dollar, General Mills and the U.S. Mint inserted coins into boxes of Cheerios cereal. While most of these coins were ordinary Sacagawea dollars, a small batch had enhanced detail on the eagle’s tail feathers — a distinction only discovered years later by numismatists.
These specially struck coins were never intended to be significantly different, but they’ve since become extremely valuable because of their rarity and distinctive design. Only a few are known to exist in pristine condition, and demand has steadily grown among collectors.
The Valuation Process
The family contacted a certified coin grading service to verify its authenticity. Experts examined the coin and confirmed it was indeed a Cheerios dollar — and more impressively, it was in near-mint condition. Once certified and slabbed by the grading agency, the coin attracted immediate interest from collectors across the country.
An anonymous private buyer eventually made an offer of $820,000 — an amount that stunned the family. “We never imagined a single coin could be worth more than our car or even our house,” they said.
Still in Circulation?
What makes this story even more compelling is the fact that similar Sacagawea dollars are still out there — possibly in forgotten jars, old wallets, or even cash registers. The vast majority of the 2000-P coins are ordinary, but there’s no easy way to spot the Cheerios variety without close inspection.
That leaves open the very real possibility that others may be sitting on life-changing coins without even knowing it.
A Reminder for Everyday Americans
This discovery serves as a fascinating reminder that sometimes, small and overlooked objects can hold significant historical and financial value. In an age when many people dismiss physical change as irrelevant, stories like this highlight why it might be worth taking a second look before tossing a coin in a tip jar or drawer.
While not everyone will stumble upon a six-figure dollar in their house, the growing interest in rare coins has sparked a fresh wave of attention toward coin collecting. And for one family, a simple cleaning day turned into an unexpected fortune — all thanks to a long-forgotten dollar.
Final Thought
If you’ve got an old coin stash somewhere, it might be time to dust it off. The next big find could be lying just a drawer away.