OK, this just bugs me because it is so obvious.

$ is a symbol meaning “dollar(s).”

“Dollars” is a word meaning “dollars.”

Use just one, not both, or we get redundancy.

I just ran into the problem in Art News online:

HERE’S HOW PETER LIK PRICED THAT $6.5 M. PHOTOGRAPH

BY Dan Duray POSTED 02/23/15

“…Peter ultimately came back and said that the $6.5, $2.4, and $1.1. million dollars was how he wanted to set up the pricing structure.”

Do they have a copy editor?