– From the day it inaugural appeared in 1909, the Lincoln penny has been an highly popular coin. Newspapers heralded the release of the modern mint and the public responded with unprecedented agitation. The coin represented a step into the modern old age for circulating U.S. coinage .
The first coin to honor a great American leader
For more than a hundred years, America ‘s circulating coin designs had held to a custom of depicting representations of Liberty on the obverse. however, by the 1909 centennial of Abraham Lincoln ‘s birth, the idea of honoring an actual person had gained acceptance. so, the Lincoln penny became the first regular-issue U.S. coin to depict an actual person, quite than an allegorical human body .
When the Lincoln cent was released in August 1909, no one was prepared for the level of populace demand. People formed long lines at banks and sub-treasury offices in their readiness to get the new coins. And, even though the distribution points limited the number available to each person, signs soon appeared to announce “ no more lincoln pennies. ”
Designer Victor David Brenner and his infamous initials
about every coin collector knows about the controversy surrounding the initials of Victor David Brenner, interior designer of the Lincoln cent. After the Lincoln cent ‘s debut, journalists seized upon his initials on the reverse – V.D.B. – as egotism on the designer ‘s depart. The bulge of the initials was widely criticized in the media. thus, fair days after the coin ‘s free, production was halted and modern coins, minus the V.D.B., were released .
Errors & varieties create collector excitement
Over the course of the last century, several have come out of the Lincoln cent series. Collector favorites include the 1955 Doubled Die Obverse and the 1922 Plain cent ( struck at the Denver Mint without a mint mark ). Large- and Small-Date varieties were issued in 1960, 1970 and 1982.
Reverse designs spanning more than a century
Brenner ‘s original reversion plan featured a dim-witted, yet boldface inscription of one cent, framed by two conventionalized ears of wheat. The “ Wheatie ” turn back was used through 1958. then, in 1959 for the hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of Lincoln ‘s birth ( and the fiftieth anniversary of the Lincoln penny ) it was decided to redesign the reverse. The newly design, used until 2009, featured the Lincoln Memorial.
In 2009, to celebrate both the bicentennial of Lincoln ‘s birth and 100 years of the Lincoln penny, the U.S. Mint issued four new inverse designs representing four major stages of the 16th president of the united states ‘s life. The unique reverses honored Lincoln ‘s birthplace, formative years, professional life and presidency. then, in 2010, a new ongoing reverse was issued featuring the Union Shield .
Special mint mark issues
More recently, extra mint marks have been adorning the Lincoln cent. In 2017, to honor the 225th anniversary of the U.S. Mint, the Philadelphia Mint struck cents with a “ P ” mint grade. This was a first – past Lincoln cents from Philadelphia bore no mint score. And in 2019, in celebration of the hundred-and-tenth anniversary of the Lincoln cent, three singular, special-issue “ W ” mint sign cents were issued by the West Point Mint .
If you ‘d like to keep track of your collection, we recommend using our handy on-line checklist. And, to teach the younger generation more about the beloved Lincoln penny, we ‘ve created a lesson plan and collecting tease for you !
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