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Own a beautiful coin that was struck from silver while World War II was still unfolding. The 1944-D 5C silver Jefferson Nickel is a coin that features a plain edge and was designed by artist Felix Schlag. This collector Jefferson silver coin has great value not only its beautiful artistry but also in its role in U.S. war and currency history. As such, it adds tremendous value to any coin collection. In late January 1938, the United States Mint announced an open competition for a new silver nickel design to replace the Buffalo nickel, with the winner was to receive a prize of 1,000 dollars. In honor of the founding father and third US President Thomas Jefferson’s birth bicentennial, competitors were to place a portrait of Jefferson on the obverse, and a depiction of the Jefferson house, Monticello, on the reverse. Schlag was announced the winner and was selected from 390 entries, winning the 1,000 dollar-prize and recognition as an American artist as he had only immigrated from Germany 9 years earlier. His silver coin shows the profile of Thomas Jefferson’s left side. His hair is slicked back from his face and is gathered at the base of his neck with a masculine ribbon. Jefferson’s cheekbone and jaw are prominent features of his profile. The reverse side of the coin shows a depiction of Jefferson’s house, with the word "Monticello" engraved below it. The motto "E Pluribus Unum" is above the house. The original nickel consisted of three-quarters copper and one-quarter nickel. In 1939, the Mint recut the hub for the Jefferson nickel, sharpening the steps on Monticello on the coin, which had been fuzzy in initial strikings. Since then, a test for whether a nickel is particularly well struck has been whether all six steps appear clearly, with "full step" nickels more collectable. With the entry of the United States into World War II, nickel became a critical war material, and the Mint sought to reduce its use of the metal and focus more on silver coins. On March 27, 1942, Congress authorized a wartime nickel made of 5 percent copper and 50 percent silver, but gave the Mint the authority to vary the proportions, or add other metals, in the public interest. The Mint’s greatest concern was in finding an alloy that would use no nickel, but still satisfy counterfeit detectors in vending machines. An alloy of 56 percent copper, 35 percent silver and 9 percent manganese proved suitable, and nickels were coined with this alloy as early as October 1942. The Jefferson D-series were coined at all three different mint locations, Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. In the hopes of making them easy to sort out and withdraw after the war, the Mint struck all "war nickels" with a large mint mark appearing above Monticello. The mint mark, P for Philadelphia, was the first time that mint’s mark had appeared on a US coin. The prewar composition and smaller mint mark (or no mint mark for Philadelphia) were resumed in 1946. An article written by Mark A. Benvenuto in 2000 suggested that the amount of nickel saved by the switch was not significant to the war effort, but that the Jefferson war nickel instead served as a symbol of sacrifice in the national war effort. Purchase of this collectible silver Jefferson 1944-d nickel is not only a commemoration of Jefferson’s contribution to the country as a founding father and president but also values the type of sacrifice Americans made for the liberty and victory of World War II.