I used to give parents of newborn babies a silver dollar with the date of their child's birth I want to start doing this again Why does a dollar coin cost more than face value like other tender?

Answer 1

Modern "golden" dollar coins (small - 26.5 mm, dated 2000 and later) are ordinary circulation pieces that can be gotten from most major banks at face value. They're actually brass, not gold, btw.

If you are referring to the American Eagle "dollar" pieces (large - 38 mm), they're not circulation coins, they're bullion pieces that contain an ounce of silver. The $1 denomination is completely artificial. They're sold for their silver value and not for spending. With silver ranging from $10 to $18 an ounce over the last year, they will be quite a bit more expensive than their artificial face value.

Slightly older (1971-99) $1 coins have discontinued designs so they're not in circulation much but you can usually get them from a dealer for a very slight markup.