The 150 Jefferson Proof Nickel Commemorative
Certificates assembled by Felix Schlag have been referred to by
many different names through the years; for the purposes of this
discussion they will be referred to as the “Certificates.”
For the unfamiliar, the Certificates are printed on heavy
cardstock measuring approximately 8” x 11”. They contain a
regular 1938 Proof Jefferson nickel, text referencing the open
competition; include a photo re-print of Schlag’s original
winning design, his signature, the serial number (x of 150), the
mark and seal of notary public, Paul M. Wagner, and are dated
September 29, 1939.
Felix Schlag was announced the winner of the 1938 Jefferson
nickel competition on April 21, 1938. Six days later,
Nellie Tayloe Ross would pen a letter to him detailing the
required alterations that must be made to his original design in
order for it to be accepted. While the Mint had envisioned
the new coin being released in early July, to coincide with the
anniversary of Jefferson’s death, it would take Schlag nearly 3
months to complete the revisions. July 21, 1938 marked the
ultimate approval of his final drawings and he was notified that
day by telegram that payment would be forthcoming
At the time, Felix was living in an apartment complex on West
North Avenue in Chicago; a section of the city popular with many
artists. According to Schlag, it was this close-knit group
that, upon his winning of the contest, encouraged him to create
the Certificates as a way to “commemorate these years of deep,
sincere friendship.”
Seemingly as Schlag was modifying his models, he was at the same
time contemplating the Certificates. Upon receiving
notification of the acceptance of his final designs,
Schlag would, the same day, send telegrams to both
Director Ross requesting information on what "arrangements
[were] necessary to obtain total output polished proof coins
from [the] first die of my 1938 nickel design." and to Henry
Morgenthau "making application for purchase of total amount
polished proof coins from first die of 1938 Jefferson Nickel
designed by applicant." In response to these requests,
Felix was advised by Director Ross that, “the policy of the Mint
would not permit any arrangement such as is suggested.”
Not to be dissuaded, Schlag would pen a letter to Director Ross
on July 27, applying for 2000 polished proof coins from the
first die; citing a regulation he was told existed which
afforded him the right, as the artist, to pay for their
creation. In reply, Felix was counseled by Acting Director
O’Reilly, that he would receive, “the same consideration [given]
to other requests for such coins.” Further, she directed
Felix to issue his request to the Philadelphia Mint and offered
that it was, “doubtful if the Mint will find it practicable to
supply any one person with a large number of proof coins.”
A persistent Schlag would try again to leverage his position as
the designer; this time with the Philadelphia Mint. The
matter was referred to Director Ross who notified the
Philadelphia Mint that Schlag’s, “order should not be filled in
advance of others being held.”
For the coinage year 1938, the treasury minted 19,365 Jefferson
proofs, of which an estimated 14,000 remain in existence
today. Records from the Medal Department of the
Philadelphia Mint confirm that deliveries of proof coins began
on November 15, 1938 and concluded on December 30,
1938. A letter from Eric Leavens in the
March 1939 issue of The Numismatist confirms that only limited
supplies of complete proof sets were available for sale at this
time at a price of $1.81 plus 8₵ for postage and insurance.
This is to
acknowledge receipt of your order for one 1938 proof coin and
cash in the amount of 28 cents enclosed. Please be advised
that we are unable to fill your order for 1938 proof Jefferson
nickel, as the 1938 proof coins we have on hand are a limited
supply of full sets that are being held available for sale in
sets only until sold. We will thank you for immediate
advice as to whether you desire to increase your remittance to
cover the cost of a full set ($1.81 plus postage and parcel
post insurance 8c.) or to cancel your order. In the absence of
an immediate reply your remittance will be returned to you in
due course.
By RALPH ROLAND,
Acting Superintendent.
It was likely the summer of 1939, nearly a year after his
initial requests, before Schlag was able to obtain at least some
of the 150 proofs used in his Certificates. The first
would have been a bag of 12 coins from the Philadelphia Mint
fulfilling his initial $2.48 order from 1938 (proofs sold for
20₵ each plus 8₵ for postage and insurance).
All told, Schlag spent a little more than $30 for the 150 proofs
he used in the Certificates. Recall that during this time he was
employed by the Works Progress Administration as a Senior
Artist/Sculptor earning $1 per hour. As such, these coins
equated to nearly a week’s worth of work. Had Schlag’s
initial request for 2000 coins been honored, not only would he
have been in possession of 10% of the total proof coins produced
in 1938, but it would have cost him more than $400 or nearly 3
months wages!
With proof nickels in hand, and the Certificate designed, Schlag
had them printed and then assembled the pieces before having
them notarized. The notary seal is that of a Paul M.
Wagner. Genealogy records suggest that a Paul Mattison
Wagner, born November 3, 1894 lived in Chicago, Illinois.
Census records from 1930 and 1940 confirm that Paul Wagner was a
Postal employee in Cook County. Unfortunately, the
Illinois State Archives no longer possesses records of notary’s
from this era, so further authentication of Wagner is not
possible.
An examination of the nickel specimens used in the Certificates
reveals that they contain the serifs, first discussed by Tom
DeLorey, (ANA LM-1696) in his 2009 piece, Mysterious
Re-Engraving of 1938 Proof Nickel Dies More Extensive Than
Previously Believed. DeLorey’s position is that 1938 proof
strikes were distinctly different from business strikes in that
they possessed serifs, likely the result of die changes being
made just prior to changing coin years. The presence of
these distinct characteristics on the coins used in Schlag’s
Certificates suggests that they are authentic proofs.
To gain insight into what Schlag did with
the Certificates once assembled, we look again to the letter he
wrote to Lee Martin in 1973. Initially Schlag gave them
away to friends and relatives. Letters also confirm that
Certificate #1 was provided to the Chicago Historical Society in
November of 1939. He then had Ethel Levin, his eventual
third wife, list them for sale in the May 1940 issue of
The
Numismatist. The advertisement yielded no
sales. Ultimately, the remaining lot went into a box in
his attic after he and Ethel, who were married November 22,
1940, moved to Michigan in 1941. Here the Certificates
would remain for the better part of 20 years.
In late 1963 or early 1964, Ethel reportedly took ill, and Felix
sold the majority of the remaining Certificates to Earl C.
Schill, a Detroit coin dealer. As many of the Certificates
in the possession of Schlag’s decedents, are not framed, it is
the believed that Schill is the one who placed them in the
small, wooden frames which many are found encased in.
Schill launched a campaign to market and
sell the Certificates with ads first appearing in the April 1964
issue of
The
Numismatist. The asking price was $225;
adjusted for inflation that would equate to about $1750 in 2016
dollars. Out of the handful that Schlag maintained, he
sent #3 to the
American
Numismatic Association in May 1968 where it remains today.
From this point, the remaining number and location of the
Certificates begins to enter the unknown. In 1979, a North
Carolina collector made an attempt to locate them, and had some
success. He also began exchanging letters with Ethel
Schlag who indicated in 1981 that she believed, “most of the
Certificates were lost or discarded.”
A look at Jeffersonian rarities, including
1938 first bags given by Henry Morgenthau as mementos, 1938
specimen strikes representing the first three Jefferson
nickels to be produced, and Schlag's framed certificates was
originally published under the title, Cingular
Certificates, Souvenir Cards & Proof Nickels, in the
January 2018 issue of The
Numismatist.
"Number 5 of 150
framed souvenir displays. Felix Schlag had made in 1939. Each
was signed by him and notarized. At the center is a Proof 1938
nickel with obverse facing; at upper right is a photograph of
his original 1938 Monticello design."
"Some
150 are on large (8" x 12") cards reading 'First Prize Winner
among 390 Competing Artists in the National Competition for a
New Five Cent Coin, April 20, 1938. Felix Schlag, Sculptor' with
Schlag's autograph, a serial number, a notarized statement about
the number so issued, and a drawing of the original reverse (far
better artistically than the version adopted). During the middle
and late 1960's these historically desirable cards sold between
$150 and $250 apiece after a Chicago dealer's hoard (possibly
2/3 of the original issue) was dispersed."
“Schlag
would have preferred his even more innovative three-quarter view
of Monticello. He obtained some proof 1938 nickels and mounted
them on autographed cards bearing photographs of his original
models. The cards were numbered and autographed by Schlag, and
notarized by Paul Wagner on September 29, 1939.”
"In addition to
business-strike nickels for circulation, the Philadelphia Mint
struck proofs for collectors. Schlag acquired 150 proof 1938
Jefferson nickels and mounted them on notarized plaques with his
autograph and photos of his original plaster models."