The Jefferson nickel was born from a contest that nearly failed to attract entries.

Science · Published 20 October 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When the U.S. Mint sought to replace the Buffalo nickel in 1938, initial interest was so low that officials worried the competition would flop. A last-minute surge of submissions saved the project, leading to the selection of Felix Schlag’s design, which has defined American pocket change for over eight decades.

The transition from the Buffalo nickel to the Jefferson nickel was driven by the expiration of a 25-year mandate that had protected the older design from replacement. By 1938, Mint authorities were eager to move on, as the Buffalo design’s intricate details caused frequent die breakage. The Mint launched a design competition with a $1,000 prize, requiring a portrait of Thomas Jefferson on the front and his home, Monticello, on the back. Despite a slow start, 390 entries arrived by the April deadline, and Felix Schlag, a German immigrant who had been in the country for only nine years, was declared the winner.

Schlag’s original vision faced immediate pushback from Mint officials. They disliked his modernistic lettering and a tree included in his depiction of Monticello, which they incorrectly identified as a palm tree. Forced to revise his work, Schlag replaced the three-quarters view of the house with a head-on perspective that art historian Cornelius Vermeule later criticized as a "mausoleum of Roman profile." These design choices were finalized after the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed the work, though the Mint ignored their suggestion to rearrange the mottos.

The coin has undergone significant technical and aesthetic shifts since its 1938 debut. During World War II, the Mint replaced nickel with a copper-silver-manganese alloy to conserve strategic materials, marking these coins with a large mint mark above Monticello. In 2004, the Westward Journey series introduced temporary commemorative designs, and in 2006, the obverse was permanently updated to a forward-facing portrait of Jefferson designed by Jamie Franki. Today, the coin remains a canvas for history, with future plans for special 2026 designs commemorating the nation's 250th anniversary.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• The corporate battle that nearly erased a masterpiece of American coinage
• A coin designed to be beautiful was nearly killed by its own creator
• The 1932 Washington quarter was born from a high-stakes artistic feud
• The two-cent piece was a short-lived Civil War solution that introduced a national motto.
• The massive stockpile of American dollar coins that could reach Chicago
• Jernej Kopitar: The Imperial Censor Who Shaped the Future of South Slavic Languages
• Why one-size-fits-all regulation often fails to tame the world's most powerful monopolies
• Can any subject be taught to any child at any stage?
• How a French civil servant became the architect of modern European monetary policy
• Why Jerry Saltz believes the modern art world has become an open, Wikipedia-style conversation.
• How a French Vintner’s Son Became One of Cinema’s Most Prolific and Influential Storytellers
• The 'chaperone' who traded kindergarten teaching for the Golden Age of illustration

More in Social scientists · More in Science · Latest · A–Z · All topics