WASHINGTON – The United States Mint announced today that the 2004 Westward Journey Nickel Series™ Coin and Medal Set, priced at $19.95, will be available January 5, 2005, beginning at 12:00 noon (ET). The set includes a silver-plated, bronze Jefferson Peace Medal duplicate, a proof Golden Dollar and proof “Peace Medal” and “Keelboat” nickels from the Westward Journey Nickel Series™.

With a maximum production of 25,000, this new set includes a silver-plated bronze replica of the Jefferson Peace Medal commissioned by our Nation’s third President in 1801. The United States Mint originally struck the Jefferson Peace Medals in three sizes, and the Lewis & Clark expedition gave several hundred of them to American Indian leaders they encountered along the expedition.

To complement the silver-plated medal is a 2004-dated proof Golden Dollar, bearing the distinctive San Francisco “S” mint mark. Sacagawea is depicted on the Golden Dollar’s obverse carrying her infant son, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, nicknamed “Pomp” by Captain Clark. The brave young Shoshone woman helped direct the expedition through the vast, uncharted territories of the American West. Sacagawea’s contributions to the success of the Corps of Discovery were both numerous and significant.

Completing this set are the first two five-cent coins struck for the Westward Journey Nickel Series in commemoration of the bicentennials of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis & Clark expedition. These stunning nickels also carry the “S” mint mark emblematic of proof quality United States coinage.

The first new nickel, released in the Spring of 2004, depicts the Jefferson Peace Medal’s Peace and Friendship handshake design on a circulating coin for the first time. This nickel was followed in August with the release of the Keelboat nickel, featuring a rendition of the stout river-going vessel that carried the Corps of Discovery and its supplies up the Missouri River. These coins represent the first changes in the nickel’s design since 1938.

Customers can purchase the 2004 Westward Journey Nickel Series Coin & Medal Set by using the United States Mint’s secure website, www.usmint.gov, or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing- and speech-impaired customers with TTY equipment may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468). A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders.