Felix Schlag, a German-American sculptor, won a nationwide competition in 1938 to redesign the U.S. five-cent coin. His portrait of Thomas Jefferson on the front and the image of Jefferson’s Monticello on the reverse became iconic, making Schlag’s design one of the most-circulated coins in American history. Born in Germany in 1891, Schlag emigrated to the United States in the 1920s to pursue a career as a sculptor. His big break came with the U.S. Mint’s competition, but despite his success, he received little recognition during his lifetime beyond the…
