At the end of the Buffalo nickel’s 25-year run (1913-1938), the U.S. Treasury launched a competition to replace the popular coin with a portrait of Thomas Jefferson and his home, Monticello. Of the 390 entrants, Felix Schlag was named the winner. Nickels still bear Schlag’s imagery today—he was awarded only $1,000 for this enduring contribution to U.S. coinage. The obverse of Schlag’s coin is just as he designed it, but the reverse was...Continue Reading