Whether and when Congress authorizes a change this year in the design of the nickel is being debated in the Senate.

The House of Representatives has already approved a design honoring the Lewis and Clark expedition, to be issued from 2003 to 2005. The Senate must find time in the whirl of wartime legislation to decide.

Like the war, the aftermath — in this case of a short-term coin issue — is a knotty one because the Virginia congressional delegation wants Jefferson returned to the nickel, forever.

Collectors favor coin redesign as a means of reinvigorating the hobby and business. They argue that no historic figure should have perpetual rights of appearance on any coin.

It’s not often that passions and bold maneuvering surround coin legislation, but this issue involves state pride.