American Bison Nickel

In 2004 and 2005, the U.S. Mint commemorated the bicentennials of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition with the Westward Journey Nickel Series. The American Bison Nickel is the third of four coins in the series.

The obverse design, for the first time in 67 years, shows a new likeness of America’s third president, Thomas Jefferson. The image appears only on the 2005 nickels in recognition of Jefferson’s role in the Louisiana Purchase and in commissioning the Lewis and Clark expedition. The design is based on the marble bust by the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, completed in 1789. The portrait was made age-appropriate to his presidency by utilizing later paintings by Gilbert Stuart and Rembrandt Peale. The new obverse image of Jefferson replaces the image that had been on the nickel since 1938.

The reverse features an American bison, referred to as a buffalo. Lewis and Clark expedition journals described the buffalo, and it was an animal of great significance to many Native American cultures. The image of a buffalo adorned the reverse of the nickel from 1913-1938.