Mercury Dime
1946 Jefferson Nickel
The Jefferson nickel is previous hat to Americans. Most people under the age of forty have by no means carried another five-cent piece in their pockets or purses, and few ever pause to examine one before spending it.
That will change in the weeks and months ahead, for the U.S. Mint is giving the coin a makeover.
Nickels dated 2004 will are available in [two] new varieties, each bearing a special design tied to the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition.
The change is approach overdue, for the Jefferson nickel has carried the identical designs on both sides since 1938 – longer than any other present U.S. coin. The Lincoln cent and Washington quarter are older, however each have undergone major revision alongside the way – the cent with the Lincoln Memorial reverse and the quarter with the 50-state reverses. The Jefferson nickel, against this, appears mainly the identical now as it did when it first appeared greater than 65 years ago.
It’s laborious to think about right this moment, however at one time the Jefferson nickel was thought-about fairly dramatic. It was, in fact, part of what amounted to a coinage revolution – one which changed the face of Individuals’ pocket change from allegorical themes to portraits of national leaders. That inventive revolution was already beneath means with the cent and quarter, however the nickel tilted the balance and all but assured that the change would turn out to be complete.
Plans for a Jefferson nickel had been hatched in 1937 by aides to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR and fellow-Democrats seemed upon Thomas Jefferson as the founder of their get together, and saw this as a chance to burnish his picture and that of the occasion as well. It appeared logical, too, as a observe-as much as the presidential portraits on the cent and quarter, each of which loved vast popularity.
Under federal legislation, coin designs could not be modified till not less than 25 years had elapsed since their introduction. Congressional approval was needed previous to that. Of the three remaining regular-difficulty cash (aside from the cent and quarter), solely the Buffalo nickel satisfied this requirement – after which just barely. Having made its debut in 1913, it was eligible for alternative in 1938. The “Mercury” dime and Walking Liberty half dollar both have been introduced in 1916 and thus hadn’t reached the minimal retirement age.
The Buffalo nickel was – and nonetheless is – an enormously standard coin, seen with affection by thousands and thousands of People for its naturalistic magnificence and its easy but powerful themes. From a technical standpoint, though, the coin had been a headache for the federal government right from the very beginning. Certain elements of the coin – notably the date – have been high and exposed to wear, and by the Thirties dateless Buffalo nickels have been turning into a real concern for the U.S. Mint.
All 5 coins being issued at the moment were the work of outside artists, relatively than members of the Mint’s engraving workers, and three of them were products of design competitions. The U.S. Treasury decided to look outside once more by holding a public contest “open to all American sculptors.” The winner would receive $1,000 – not a princely sum even then, however sufficient to get artists’ attention at a time when the results of the Depression were still being keenly felt.
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Complete Mercury Dime/Winged Liberty Head Set.