"It isn't a
silly smile or a smirk but a sense of optimism that I was trying to convey with
the expression," said Jamie Franki, an associate professor of art at the
University of North Carolina-Charlotte. His drawing was chosen out of 147
entries.
In unveiling the
design Tuesday, mint officials said they believed the new image of Jefferson
was an appropriate way to commemorate his support for expanding the country
through the Louisiana Purchase and sending
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the territory in 804-05.
"The image of
a forward-looking Jefferson is a fitting
tribute to that vision,” said David Lebryk, acting director of the mint.
For the last two
years, the mint has changed the design of the nickel every six months to
commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and
Clark expedition, both f which occurred during Jefferson 's
administration.
The new five-cent
coin, which will go into circulation early next year, is the last scheduled
change in the nickel's appearance. It will feature Jefferson's Monticello home on the reverse side of the coin but in an
updated image from the Monticello
that first began appearing on the nickel in 1938.
--- Associated Press
An artist rendering provided by the U.S.
