New-Look Nickel Gets New Derriere

After 65 years, the nickel is getting a change.

In fact, the U.S. Mint announced Thursday that the back of the 5-cent piece will feature two new looks in 2004, one to come out in the spring, the other in the fall.

The new nickels will commemorate the bicentennial of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase and the 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark expedition.

Most Americans probably have not seen a nickel different from the current one, whose design was introduced in 1938, and features the image of Thomas Jefferson on the front and his home, Monticello, on the back.

"This is a historic moment for the nation, the first change in our nickel in 65 years," declared Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore.

Jefferson's face, however, will remain on the front of the new nickels.

The back of the nickel that will be released in the spring bears the words "United States of America" around the top of the coin. Underneath that are the words "Louisiana Purchase," and under that, "1803" is centered on the coin.

The back carries an image of clasped hands, signifying friendship. Above the clasped hands is a tomahawk crossed by a peace pipe, signifying peace. The images are similar to those carried on Jefferson Peace Medals, which were presented ceremonially to Indian chiefs and other important leaders. Below the clasped hands are the Latin words "E Pluribus Unum," and hugging the bottom of the coin is the denomination: "Five Cents."

On the second nickel, going into circulation in the fall, the back features an angled view of the keelboat with full sail that the Lewis and Clark expedition used to travel the rivers of the Louisiana territory in search of the northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean. Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are in full uniform in the bow of the boat. Under the image are the words "Lewis & Clark."

Around the top of the coin it says "United States of America" and underneath that "E Pluribus Unum." Again, the denomination appears at the bottom of the coin, "Five Cents."

Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase, which at the time doubled the size of the United States. He also was the force behind the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific coast and back.

Legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in April cleared the way for the Mint to give the nickel a makeover to recognize these two important events in U.S. history.

In 2006, Jefferson's Monticello will return to the back of the nickel, although possibly in an image different from the one on the current coins. And the image of Jefferson on the front also might look different in 2006.

The Jefferson and Monticello images that appear on current coins had replaced what was known as the buffalo, bison or Indian head nickels, which had been in circulation since 1913.