Coin specifications and design
Design identification
Obverse: Thomas Jefferson portrait.
Reverse: Monticello or later Jefferson nickel reverse designs.
U.S. Mint coin reference
1938-present Jefferson Nickel
Jefferson nickels are long-running modern nickels with wartime silver issues and design revisions.
Jefferson Nickel history
The Jefferson nickel debuted in 1938 after the Buffalo nickel reached the end of its required design period. Felix Schlag’s winning design paired Thomas Jefferson with Monticello, his Virginia home. The series saw a temporary wartime alloy from 1942 through 1945, special Westward Journey reverse designs in 2004 and 2005, and a new forward-facing Jefferson portrait beginning in 2006. Despite those changes, Jefferson and Monticello have remained the defining subjects of the denomination.