Information about Portrait: Thomas Jefferson (facing)

The portrait of Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826), the third President of the United States (1801 - 1809), has been displayed on the obverse of American five-cent coins since 1938; the coins that carry the portrait are known as "Jefferson nickels". From 1938 until 2004, the copper-nickel coin's obverse featured a left-facing profile of Jefferson by artist Felix Schlag.

In 2005, a one-year design was used on which Jefferson looks to the right.

The current definitive portrait was introduced in 2006. Designed by Jamie Franki, it depicts a forward-facing Jefferson based on an 1800 study by Rembrandt Peale. The obverse of the coins also includes the word "Liberty" in Jefferson's own script. According to Acting Mint Director David Lebryk, "The image of a forward-facing Jefferson is a fitting tribute to his vision".

Thomas Jefferson on a Five Cents coin

United States / Five Cents 2021 Jefferson Nickel

The portrait has been shown on this type of coins - called a Jefferson nickel - since 2006.