In 1999, the Denver Mint had a HUGE production goal to meet. The goal was to produce 11 billion coins for the year. Through hard work and tons of overtime, they were able to not only meet that goal, but were able to exceed it. In appreciation for all of the hard work, each employee was given a certificate that entitled them to one of the new golden dollars. These coins were struck before the regular production began, using the old Columbia press. The extra pressure from the Columbia press made the features of the coins stronger than those of the regular production run. Each employee was allowed to strike their own coin. All of the coins struck also have a slightly misaligned reverse die, i.e. the reverse is a tad off center (see below). Approximately 600 pieces were struck and placed in a special holder for the employees.

The Philadelphia Mint likewise recognized their employees in February 2007 with an Employee "Team Award".