Jefferson's portret based on the marble bust of Jefferson by the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, completed in 1789. The design was made age-appropriate to his presidency by utilizing later paintings by Gilbert Stuart and Rembrandt Peale. The word "Liberty" appears in script on the obverse above the date, and the legend "IN GOD WE TRUST" appears along the outer edge on the right side. The word "Liberty" was taken from Jefferson's handwritten draft for the Declaration of Independence, though to achieve a capital L, Joe Fitzgerald had to obtain one from other documents written by Jefferson. The new obverse image of President Jefferson replaces the image of President Jefferson that had been on the nickel since 1938.

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and the third President of the United States (1801–1809). During his first term as President, Thomas Jefferson virtually doubled the size of the United States when his Administration successfully completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and commissioned the Lewis & Clark Expedition to explore the new territory.

Designer: Joe Fitzgerald (JF)
Engraver: Don Everhart (DE)

American bison grazing in the fields, reminiscent of the old US Buffalo Nickel coin. The American bison, recognizing the American Indians and wildlife encountered by the Lewis and Clark expedition. Expedition journals described the buffalo, and it was an animal of great significance to many American Indian cultures.

The American bison, also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds. They became nearly extinct by a combination of commercial hunting and slaughter in the 19th century and introduction of bovine diseases from domestic cattle, and have made a recent resurgence largely restricted to a few national parks and reserves.

E Pluribus Unum — Latin for "Out of many, one" — is a phrase on the Seal of the United States. Never codified by law, E Pluribus Unum was considered a de facto motto of the United States until 1956 when the United States Congress passed an act (H. J. Resolution 396), adopting "In God We Trust" as the official motto.

Designer: Jamie Franki (JNF)
Engraver: Norman E. Nemeth (NEN)