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The United States Mint sponsored a contest for the best design of the replacement for the Buffalo nickel in January 1938. Entering a competition with 390 artists, German immigrant Felix Schlag, who had only been a United States citizen for 9 years, captured an award of $1000 for his motif picturing Thomas Jefferson on the obverse and a corner view of Jefferson’s home, Monticello, on the reverse. In the final production design, the profile of Monticello was changed to a front view.
World War II prompted the rationing of many commodities. Nickel was highly valued for use in armor plating, and Congress ordered the removal of this metal from the five-cent piece, effective October 8, 1942. From that date, and lasting through the end of 1945, five-cent pieces bore the regular design but were minted from an alloy of copper, silver and manganese. It was anticipated that these emergency coins would be withdrawn from circulation after the war, so a prominent distinguishing feature was added.
US coins normally have the initials of the designer somewhere on the coin, but Felix Schlag's initials FS were not added to the coin until 1966.
Coins from all three mints bore very large mint marks above the dome of Monticello, and the letter 'P' was used as a mint mark for the first time on a U. S. coin. Coin without a mint mark means it was also minted in Philadelphia.
Obverse
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A left-facing bust of the president, dressed in a coat of the period and wearing a peruke wig. Arranged in arcs around the border are the motto IN GOD WE TRUST to the left, with LIBERTY and the date to the right, separated by a single star. IN GOD WE TRUST |
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Reverse
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A front elevation view of Jefferson’s home, with the name MONTICELLO beneath it. Around the border are the legends E PLURIBUS UNUM above and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA below. Beneath MONTICELLO is the value FIVE CENTS. E PLURIBUS UNUM |
Edge |
5 Cents
Jefferson Wartime Nickel
KM# 192a
Characteristics
Material | Copper Silver Manganese |
Weight | 5 g |
Diameter | 21.21 mm |
Thickness | 1.95 mm |
Shape | round |
Alignment | Coin |
Mints |
Denver Mint (D) Philadelphia Mint (P) San Francisco Mint (S)
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