Jefferson Nickel

1938–present

Portraying Thomas Jefferson on the obverse and his home, Monticello, on the reverse, this nickel replaced the Liberty Head design in 1938 and remains in production today. Its most collectible chapter is the wartime years (1942-1945), when the Mint pulled nickel out of the alloy for military use and struck the coin in 35% silver instead -- identifiable by a large mint mark above Monticello's dome, the first time Philadelphia coins ever carried a mint mark at all.