The History of the Nickel

The first five-cent coin created by the U.S. Mint was released in 1794 and was made of silver, not nickel. This silver five-cent piece was called a half disme (pronounced “dime”) and was significantly smaller than the modern nickel. Between 1794 and 1837, the coins featured an image of Liberty on one side and an eagle on the other. The eagle was replaced by a wreath in 1837. In 1866, the U.S. Mint began producing new five-cent coins made from nickel and copper. People began calling these new coins “nickels.” In 1873, the production of the silver disme ceased. From 1913 to 1938, the U.S. Mint produced the “Buffalo” nickel, which was designed by James Earle Fraser and featured the bust of a Native American chief on one side and an American bison on the other. In 1938, a new nickel design featuring Jefferson on one side and an image of Monticello, his Virginia home, on the reverse, was released. It was designed by Felix Schlag and was produced by the U.S. Mint until 2003. In 2004, the U.S. Mint commemorated the bicentennials of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition with the Westward Journey Nickel Series. Then in 2006, the “Return to Monticello” nickel design was introduced. It featured an image of Thomas Jefferson (based on a Rembrandt Peale portrait) on one side and an image of Monticello on the reverse. The “Return to Monticello” nickel is still produced today.