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About the Jefferson Nickel
The Jefferson Nickel is a five-cent coin that is produced by the U.S. Mint. It was first introduced in 1938 as part of the United States’ 75th anniversary commemoration of Thomas Jefferson’s birth. The nickel has gone through several redesigns over the years, but still remains a popular coin in American currency.
The Jefferson Nickel is quite distinct in design. The obverse features a portrait of President Thomas Jefferson along with the inscriptions “In God We Trust”, “Liberty”, and the year of mintage. The reverse of the coin features Jefferson’s home at Monticello and the inscriptions “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, and the denomination, “Five Cents”.
The original design was created by Felix Schlag and won him a $1,000 prize. Schlag spent three months creating the design and worked primarily from descriptions of Jefferson’s appearance. The design was then approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Jefferson Nickel was officially issued on November 1, 1938.
In 1942, the composition of the nickel changed from 75-25 copper-nickel to 56-44 copper-silver, due to the shortage of copper caused by World War II. This “war nickel” is easily distinguished from the earlier issues, as the large mintmark, which is located above the dome of Monticello, was moved to just above the date.
Over the years, the obverse design has gone through various modifications. In 2004, the obverse was redesigned and honored the Westward Journey Bicentennial series. This design features Thomas Jefferson’s portrait on the obverse, but with a new reversed view of Monticello in the background.
The Jefferson Nickel remains one of the most collectible coins in the U.S. In 2019, a rare 1943 Jefferson Nickel was sold at auction for a record-breaking $3 million. This piece is one of a few Jefferson Nickels that were incorrectly struck in bronze and is one of the most valuable coins in the world.
Today, the Jefferson Nickel continues to be produced by the U.S. Mint, with the Westward Journey Bicentennial design remaining the recent standard.
The Jefferson Nickel is a great reminder of American history and remains a popular choice for coin collectors.
The 1961-D Jefferson Nickel coin, has a total mintage of 229,342,760, struck at the Denver, Colorado mint, and engraved by Felix Schlag. Made of copper-nickel (75% copper, 25% nickel), weighing 5 grams, with a diameter of 21.2 mm, and a thickness of 1.95 mm, and featuring a plain edge.
The obverse is the portrait of thomas jefferson, the 3rd president of the u.s. from 1801 to 1809. It reads “IN GOD WE TRUST
LIBERTY * 1997 P
FS”. The reverse is a representation of monticello, president thomas jefferson's virginia home. It reads “E PLURIBUS UNUM
MONTICELLO
FIVE CENTS
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”.
