The 2006 nickel will feature a forward-facing pose by Thomas Jefferson instead of the traditional profile look.

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The nickel is getting such a facelift in 2006 that it will look a lot different than any other U.S. coin preceding it.

The United States Mint announced Wednesday that the 5-cent piece coming out early next year will still include President Thomas Jefferson and his Monticello home on the reverse. But instead of a profile image, Jefferson will be facing forward, marking the first time that a forward-looking image is used in U.S. coinage.

Acting Mint Director David A. Lebryk said the new coin, entitled "Jefferson, 1800," represents Jefferson's forward-looking vision that included the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The Mint said the image is expected to stay with the coin for an unspecified number of years.

The first time the image of a president was used in the nation's circulating currency was in 1909 when Abraham Lincoln's face was used on the penny.

The look of the new nickel, which was based on a painting by a Rembrandt Peale from 1800, will feature the word "Liberty" in a replica of Jefferson's own handwriting.

The design was selected from 147 artist and engraver entries from across the country, the Mint said.

Thomas Jefferson, credited as the author of the Declaration of Independence, was the third president of the United States and served from 1801 until 1809.

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