The U.S. Treasury unveiled a new bison nickel today at a ceremony on Capitol Hill with various government leaders and a 2,000 lb buffalo named Cody. The AP reports the new nickel, third in a series of four to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, features a “jazzed-up” profile of Jefferson and the word “liberty” in his own handwriting. The new nickels are available for purchase on the U.S. Mint’s website, and the 97 million new coins should find their way into circulation around the country in the next two weeks.
The new coins will be the first nickel to feature a buffalo since 1938. Another version of the AP story quotes a mint official who speculates the series will “probably be our second most popular coin collecting series,” behind the wildly popular 50 state quarters.