2015-P Native American – Mohawk Ironworkers Dollar : A Collector’s Guide

Of all the people who deserve credit for building the New York City skyline, Mohawk ironworkers arguably deserve the greatest share. One of the five founding tribes of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy), the Kanienʼkehá:ka (Mohawk) people primarily live in northern New York State and neighboring areas of Canada. For almost 200 years, brave Mohawk workers have labored on construction projects at immense heights and earned a reputation for skillful steel and iron work. In the 1920s and ’30s, Mohwak ironworkers moved to New York City and built such iconic skyscrapers as the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building and famous landmarks such as the George Washington Bridge. In the 1970s, Mohawk ironworkers built the World Trade Center.

The tradition of skilled ironworking among the Mohawk continues to this day, and the 2015 entry in the Native American dollar series was a long overdue celebration of these proud workers. Designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program artist Ronald D. Sanders, the outstandingly rendered reverse of the 2015 Native American – Mohawk Ironworkers dollar presents a fisheye lens view of the city as seen from the staggering heights the Mohawk have to navigate on a daily basis. The design’s creation of depth of field on the small dollar canvas is reminiscent of other imaginative solutions to difficult themes imposed on Mint artists.

What Is the 2015-P Native American Dollar Worth?

The combined certified population for the 2015-P Native American dollar remains quite low, with just 491 coins certified to date by PCGS and 201 coins certified by NGC. With such low submission numbers, it is interesting to note that the sample yielded a total of six MS68 coins and one MS69. It seems that the 2015-P yields nice coins, but perhaps not as frequently as the 2015-D.

For convenience sake, it may be worth paying a premium for an MS68 or the sole MS69, but we’d be leery about believing that these are stable condition rarities, given that more than 99% of this issue has not been submitted for certification due to the fact that it costs more money to have a coin graded than you will likely make by selling an example in MS67. A recent eBay sale for a 2015-P Native American Mohawk Ironworkers dollar earned the seller $30.00 after one bid. An NGC MS67 sold for $20 in December 2023. Uncertified singles, on the other hand, will typically retail for $3 to $5 per coin.

Simply put, Mint State dollars are worth more than face value; circulated coins are not.

Top Population: PCGS MS68 (3, 3/2024). NGC MS69 (1, 3/2024). CAC N/A (3/2024).

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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 is facing to the right, her head turned two-thirds of the way to the side, eyes making direct contact with the holder of the coin. Baby Jean is asleep in a papoose. Wrapping around the top of the coin is LIBERTY. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST is inscribed in small letters to the left of Sacagawea. The date and mintmark on issues struck before 2009 were located to the right of Sacagawea’s chin, but have since been removed from the obverse and are now inscribed on the rim. Glenna Goodacre’s initials “gg” are drawn in incuse at the 7 o’clock position, adjacent to the rim.

Reverse:

A construction worker from the Mohawk tribe stands high above the New York City skyline. His right arm extended to a grab and guide a steel beam. His left hand grips the “porthole” that frames the coin’s design. A fisheye look at the surrounding buildings and water features effectively communicate 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. 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 features the date 2015, the specific coin’s mint mark, 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).

Coin Specifications

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Learn about the 2015-D Native American – Mohawk Ironworker’s Dollar