The Jefferson Nickel has been the five-cent coin (abbreviated as 5¢) struck by the United States Mint since 1938, when it replaced the Buffalo Nickel. From 1938 until 2004, the copper-nickel coin's obverse featured a profile depiction of founding father and third U.S. President Thomas Jefferson by artist Felix Schlag.
The reverse, with the exception of coins struck in 2004 and 2005, features Jefferson's home, Monticello. In 2004 and 2005, circulating commemorative designs were issued instead, honouring the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition from August 31, 1803, to September 25, 1806, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select group of U.S. Army and civilian volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend Second Lieutenant William Clark. The expedition made its way westward, and crossed the Continental Divide of the Americas before reaching the Pacific Coast.
President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the expedition shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to explore and to map the newly acquired territory, to find a practical route across the western half of the continent, and to establish an American presence in this territory before Britain and other European powers tried to claim it. The campaign's secondary objectives were scientific and economic: to study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and to establish trade with local American Indian tribes. The expedition returned to St. Louis to report its findings to Jefferson, with maps, sketches, and journals in hand.
This coin, which has now been in circulation for 20 years, was issued during the first half of 2004 and commemorates the Louisiana Purchase, which allowed the United States to expand westward considerably in the next decades. |
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The obverse of the coin shows, within a plain border, the portrait of Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826) - the third President of the United States (1801 - 1809), facing left, his hair long and tied with a ribbon.
Below the shoulder truncation, the designer's initials FS (for Felix Schlag).
Around left, the motto IN GOD WE TRUST.
Around right, the inscription LIBERTY is separated by a five-pointed star from the date of issue: 2004.
The mint mark of the Denver Mint, the Philadelphia Mint or the San Francisco Mint is a small letter D, P or S respectively, located to the right of the portrait, below the last numeral of the date. |
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| Reverse | |
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At centre, the reverse shows a new rendition of the original Indian Peace Medal, designed by Jefferson himself and used by Lewis and Clark during their expedition.
It shows a tomahawk (Indian battle axe) and a calumet (Indian peace pipe) crossed above two clasped hands - on the left, the hand of a US soldier wearing uniform; on the right, the hand of a native American wearing a silver band adorned with an American eagle. Below the silver band, the designer's initials NEN (for Norman E. Nemeth).
The original medals bore Jefferson's portrait on the other side and were presented to Native American chiefs by the expedition, as a token of friendship and goodwill. Hence, the coin is also known as the "Piece Medal Nickel".
Above that scene, the start date of the expedition: 1803, around above which LOUISIANA PURCHASE.
On two lines below, the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM (from Latin: "Out of many, one").
Along the outer rim, around above in larger letters is the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and around below, the face value and denomination FIVE CENTS. |
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