DANIEL WEBSTER | Coins Mint will strike Lewis and Clark nickel

Thomas Jefferson will drop out of the hands of consumers beginning this year as a new nickel is in the works. Congress has authorized the mint to strike a new Lewis and Clark commemorative nickel from 2003 to 2005.
Changing the design of such a popular coin is difficult in America. The Houdon portrait of Thomas Jefferson and the view of his home, Monticello, have been on the nickel since 1938.
The idea of a Lewis and Clark coin stirred the Virginia congressional delegation to write legislation demanding the return of Jefferson and Monticello in 2006. That reaction made many in Congress think for the first time about the imagery and iconography of coins.
Are Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Franklin Roosevelt suitable symbols for the country, and for how long? Some have suggested that a new portrait of Jefferson and a different view of Monticello should be used on the 2006 nickel.
There is no shortage of Jefferson portraits. A Gilbert Stuart image was used on the 1994 Jefferson commemorative silver dollar, and an original portrait submitted but rejected in 1938 remains in the mint's archive. Jefferson appeared on the 1904 Louisiana Purchase gold dollar, as well.
Design changes enliven the hobby of collecting. The last 2003 Jefferson nickels and the first 2006 return to Monticello coins will define an epoch and may provide variant coinage, as well.
The appearance of the Alabama state quarter has brought Helen Keller back into public consciousness. The woman who surmounted blindness and deafness to speak for a generation of handicapped people is portrayed with her name in Braille (and English). The coin is making its way into change, and many are watching to see if the Braille name pumps up collector enthusiasm.
Boys' life
Boy Scout interest in coins has spurred the publication of a new guide to winning merit badges through collecting. The newly revised Coin Collecting Merit Badge Booklet is available free from Stack's auction house.
BSA member George Cuhaj, a catalog editor for Krause Publications, has brought up to date a manual last printed in 1975. The booklet is available to Scoutmasters who mail or fax a letter with the troop and council number and mailing address to Vicken Yeparian, Stack's, 123 W. 57th St., New York City 10019. The Web site is VickenyStacks.com.
XDaniel Webster is a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer.