The obverse design for the 2005 nickels will bear, for the first time in 67 years, a new likeness of America's third president, Thomas Jefferson. The "Liberty" inscription on the coin is based upon Jefferson's own handwriting. The design is based on the marble bust of Jefferson by the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, completed in 1789. The design was made age-appropriate to his presidency by utilizing later paintings by Gilbert Stuart and Rembrandt Peale. The new obverse image of President Jefferson replaces the image of President Jefferson that had been on the nickel since 1938.
In late 2005, the nickel will feature a scene of the Pacific Ocean and an inscription reflecting an excited entry in the journal of Captain William Clark on November 7, 1805. The design – a design based on a photograph by Andrew E. Cier of Astoria, Oregon – visually depicts the expedition's exultation on believing they had finally reached the Pacific Ocean after so many months of arduous travel.
Mintage:
| Philadelphia | Denver | Proof |
| 394,080,000 | 411,120,000 | 2,275,000 |