United States 1982-D Jefferson Nickel
Jefferson nickel debuted in 1938, replacing the
Buffalo nickel in the 25th year of that coin’s production run. A design contest to commemorate Founding Father and third President of the United States
Thomas Jefferson, open to “all American sculptors”, was held in 1937. German émigré and American artist
Felix Oscar Schlag was the winner. He received $1,000 for his effort.
Schlag’s concept for the obverse, which art scholar
Cornelius Vermeule claimed was similar to
Jean-Antoine Houdon’s 1789 bust of Jefferson, appeared essentially the same on the five-cent nickel for 66 years. The original reverse concept, however–featuring an innovative three-quarters perspective of Jefferson’s mansion Monticello–was rejected by the