2015-S Mohawk Ironworker Native American Dollar Proof

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ….
 

The 2015 entry in the Native American Dollar series is a welcome commemoration of a long-running and still-vital tradition of the Mohawk people. One of the five founding tribes of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy), the Kanienʼkehá:ka (Mohawk) live primarily in the northern part of New York State and neighboring areas of Canada. For almost two centuries, skilled Mohawk laborers have worked on construction projects at anxiety-inducing heights and earned a reputation for masterful steel and ironwork. In the 1920s and ’30s, Mohawk ironworkers moved to New York City and built such iconic American landmarks as the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the George Washington Bridge. In the 1970s, Mohawk ironworkers built the World Trade Center.

The reverse of the 2015-S Native American – Mohawk Ironworkers Dollar, designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) artist Ronald D. Sanders and sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill, presents a fisheye lens view of the city as seen from the staggering heights the Mohawk navigate on a daily basis. The design’s creation of depth of field on the small dollar canvas is reminiscent of other imaginative and award-winning solutions to difficult themes imposed on Mint artists.

Sold exclusively to collectors through the United States Mint’s ordering website, the Proof 2015 Native American Dollar was struck at the San Francisco Mint with a mintage of just over one million pieces. An Enhanced Uncirculated version of the coin was struck at the West Point Mint and made available in the 2015 American $1 Coin and Currency Set.

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2015-S Mohawk Ironworker Native American Dollar Proof Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

Since ultra-modern coins tend to be uniform in quality and treated like commodities, they usually lack the meaningful history of auction appearances that elite classic U.S. coins have. Therefore, we examine sites like eBay to get a feel for the contemporary market for these issues (though honestly, eBay is the only one worth looking at).

A handful of perfect and near-perfect specimens certified by PCGS and NGC have sold on the platform in recent months, with prices between $15 and $50 generally determined by the sellers and the “Buy It Now” option. The list below presents auction records available on eBay as of this update in mid-January 2025 (eBay takes down auction lots after three months).

Uncertified (“raw“) examples with adequate photography have sold on eBay in the last couple months for between $5 and $8.

Top Population: PCGS PR70DCAM (984, 1/2025), NGC PF70 (2,832, 1/2025), and CAC PR69 (3, 1/2025).

• NGC PF70UCAM: eBay, January 8, 2025, Lot 364631706355 – Listed at $39.95 or Best Offer. Sacagawea (Large) label for bulk submissions (#1370).
• PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, January 7, 2025, Lot 266987328600 – Listed at $34.00, Best Offer Accepted.
• NGC PF70UCAM #4262534-017: eBay, December 31, 2024, Lot 196695723942 – Listed at $50.00 or Best Offer. Sacagawea (Small) label (#130; retired).
• PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, December 19, 2024, Lot 135070132080 – Listed at $42.49 with “Buy It Now” option.
• NGC PF70UCAM: eBay, December 17, 2024, Lot 296574765803 – Listed at $39.95 or Best Offer. Sacagawea (Small) label (#130; retired).
• NGC PF70UCAM: eBay, November 26, 2024, Lot 375800424086 – $15.50. Seven bids.
• NGC PF70UCAM: eBay, November 13, 2024, Lot 135351026610 – $26.55. 12 bids.
• NGC PF70UCAM: eBay, November 12, 2024, Lot 126761881045 – $43.00. 19 bids. Sacagawea (Large) label for bulk submissions (#1370).
• NGC PF70UCAM: eBay, November 12, 2024, Lot 326322921117 – Listed at $19.99. Sacagawea (Small) label (#130; retired).
• NGC PF70UCAM: eBay, October 31, 2024, Lot 205055676878 – $21.00. One bid.

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Design

Obverse:

Artist Glenna Goodacre’s portrait of Sacagawea is representative of the Corps of Discovery explorer and her child Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. As no contemporary portraits of Sacagawea exist, Goodacre’s effigy is based on the likeness of then-23-year-old Shoshone model Randy’L He-dow Teton (born 1976). On the coin, Sacagawea’s body faces right, her head turned two-thirds of the way to the side, eyes making direct contact with the viewer. Baby Jean is asleep in a papoose. Wrapping around the top of the coin is the word LIBERTY. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST is inscribed in small letters to the left of Sacagawea. Glenna Goodacre’s initials gg are incused at the seven o’clock position, adjacent to the rim.

Reverse:

A Mohawk construction worker stands high above the New York City skyline. His right arm extends to grab and guide a steel beam while his left hand grips the “porthole” that frames the coin’s design. A fisheye look at the surrounding buildings and water features effectively communicates a sense of height and scale. The worker’s right foot stands atop a beam, wherein the incuse inscription MOHAWK IRONWORKERS appears. At the four and eight o’clock positions are two bolts. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA wraps around the top of the design. The value of the denomination is represented as $1 and appears in the skyline to the left of the Empire State Building.

Edge:

Lettering on the edge of the 2015-S Mohawk Ironworker Native American Dollar Proof coin features the date 2015, the S mintmark for the San Francisco Mint, and the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM.

Designers

Glenda Goodacre’s design of Native American explorer Sacagawea was chosen after a nationwide design contest (View Designer’s Profile).

Designer Phebe Hemphill joined the U.S. Mint in 2006, and since that time has become one of the nation’s most prolific coin designers (View Designer’s Profile).

Artist Ronald D. Sanders joined the Mint’s design staff through the Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program (View Designer’s Profile).

2015-S Mohawk Ironworker Native American Dollar Proof Coin Specifications

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Learn about the 2015-P and 2015-D Native American – Mohawk Ironworker’s Dollars here

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