
The Lincoln penny was the first gear one-cent coin to bear the motto “ In God We Trust. ” It was besides the first gear circulation US coin of any denomination to bear the compare of an actual person. previous coins had borne the visualize of an allegorical shore leave. The Lincoln cent broke a custom begun in 1792. President George Washington forbade the habit of his image on America ‘s first coins. He declared that it smacked of monarchy. More importantly, it could encourage a cult of personality around the nation ‘s drawing card. In a quantify he would have opposed, Washington ‘s face would appear on the quarter in 1932 .
Lincoln Cent Wheat Reverse
Sculptor Victor David Brenner designed the original Lincoln “ Wheat ” penny in 1909. Unlike other mint designs, there was no contest to redesign the one-cent coin. President Theodore Roosevelt chose Brenner for the job, based on his 1907 bronze brass of Lincoln. The Lincoln Wheat Back penny was minted from 1909 through 1958. A raw reverse showing the Lincoln Memorial replaced the Wheat cent in 1959 .
1943 Steel Lincoln Cents
1943 steel Lincoln wheat cent metallic element shortages in World War II led to the merely circulating US mint made of sword. From February to December 1943, Lincoln wheat cents were made of zinc-coated steel. This motion freed up vitally needed copper for the war campaign. Everything from wires to radios to electric motors depended on copper. tied the administration casings of ammunition and weapon shells required bull. The proverb “ no good deed goes unpunished ” surely applied to the US Mint ‘s efforts in 1943. First of all, the coin presses were never intended to strike imprints on steel, evening if it was low-grade. This made production of the steel cents far more difficult. The major blemish encountered with the steel Lincoln cents was rust. The coin blanks were punched out of steel strips coated in zinc. This mean that the edges of the coins were exposed steel, which quickly rusted in normal use. This rust got under the zinc coating of the coins, and could break through onto the front and back of the coin. The steel cents were very unpopular in circulation. They were shiny like dimes when they were newfangled, and closely the same size. This led to people receiving a sword penny alternatively of a dime bag in change, or tendering a dime bag alternatively of a steel penny. The troubles extended to vending machines. many vending machines took pennies. They were besides equipped with magnets to catch alloy slugs that were being used rather of real coins. This caused the vending machines to reject the sword pennies. The public tumult over the steel “ war cents ” soon had the US Mint scrambling for alternatives. They found that brass magazine and carapace casings could be used to mint cents. production of the “ brass cents ” started in 1944 and lasted into 1946. Using steel cents in 1943 saved adequate bull to build 2 cruisers, 2 destroyers, 1,243 B-17 bombers, and 120 artillery gun
The 1943 Bronze and 1944 Steel Wheat Cents
The wartime switch to steel cents in 1943 resulted in some of the most unique and rare Lincoln cents in history. Some of the bronze coins blanks used in 1942 were incidentally left in the feeders for the coin presses in 1943. 1943 bull Lincoln cents have normally acute features. Their eye appeal and rarity make them a highly sought after coin. The sharp strikes are a leave of being coined at the high pressures needed to make steel cents. The opposite happened in 1944, when the US Mint switched to “ cartridge boldness ” to make one-cent coins. Some old zinc-coated sword blanks were stuck in the feeders, resulting in steel 1944 Lincoln cents .
How Many 1943 Bronze Lincoln Cents Are There?
There are 10 to 12 bronze 1943 Lincoln cents known ( sources vary ) There are six known 1943-S bronze Lincoln cents, struck at the San Francisco Mint The 1943-D bronze Lincoln cent strike at the Denver Mint is unique. It sold in 2010 for $ 1.7 million dollars ! With a price like that, it ‘s easy to see why sol many fakes are circulating .
How Many 1944 Steel Lincoln Cents Are There?
There are an calculate 25 to 30 1944 steel Lincoln cents. This makes sense, as Philadelphia struck 1.4 billion cents in 1944. many of these have besides much environmental price to receive a grade by mint scaling services. There are seven known 1944-D steel Lincoln cents struck at the Denver Mint. There are only two 1944-S sword Lincoln cents known to exist .
Famous Rare Wheat Cents
The most celebrated and rarest Lincoln Wheat cent is the 1909-S “VDB”. VDB are the initials of the coin ‘s artist, Victor D. Brenner.
The original Wheat cent had Brenner ‘s initials on the penetrate of the coin ‘s reverse. Some people protested the initials, claiming that they were n’t allowed ( they were ). To end the controversy, the Mint ground off the initials on the overcome coin hub. The initials returned to the Lincoln pale yellow penny in 1918, The San Francisco Mint got all their coin dies from Philadelphia, so they started Lincoln penny production later. only 484,000 1909-S Lincoln cents with the VCB initials were struck. As a comparison, about three million 1909 VDB cents were minted in Philadelphia. A greatly wear 1909-S VDB penny will hush sell for $ 700. Prices rise to over $ 1,300 for an uncirculated exemplar. Another celebrated Lincoln Wheat penny is the 1955 Doubled Die Obverse ( DDO ). A double die produces a moment, offset image on the same die. many doubled die errors are arduous to see without a magnify methamphetamine. Others, like the 1955 DDO Lincoln penny, have dramatic die doubling that is easily seen with the naked eye. This obvious, acuate double over makes the 1955 DDO cent one of the most popular US mint varieties. There are an estimate 10,000 to 15,000 surviving 1955 DDO Lincoln cents. A wear model can sell for more than $ 1,000. A dependable Mint State mint with monetary value about $ 2,500 What Are Doubled Die Coins? Until 1997, it took respective strikes from a design hub to make a coin die. The die was removed from the press and reheated to soften it again before the adjacent fall upon. sometimes, the die was n’t aligned by rights when it was reinserted. This off-center strike caused a double image on the die. The two types of double die coins are the Doubled Die Obverse ( DDO ) and the Doubled Die Reverse ( DDR ). A double Die Obverse mint has the blueprint doubling on the obverse ( front ) of the coin. A double Die Reverse has the design doubling on the reverse ( back ) of the mint .
Lincoln Cent Memorial Reverse
Lincoln penny ( Memorial reversion ). picture : PCGS 1959 marked the hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of Abraham Lincoln ‘s give birth. To celebrate the juncture, the US Mint held a design contest for a new reversion for the Lincoln cent. Frank Gasparro ‘s representation of the Lincoln Memorial won. The Lincoln Memorial penny would run from 1959 through 2008 .
The Switch To Zinc in 1982
high bull prices forced a change in the composing of the Lincoln Memorial penny in 1982. A copper-plated zinc mint replaced the traditional 95 % copper, 5 % zinc alloy. The newly coin had a core of 99.2 % zinc and 0.8 % copper, thinly plated with pure bull. This gave the fresh coin a accumulative content of 97.5 % zinc, and 2.5 % copper. The modern coins promptly earned the nickname “ Zincolns. ” They weighed 2.5 grams, compared to the 3.11 grams of the former copper coins. The outbound appearance of the two types of coins is the same. The US Mint produced both copper and zinc Lincoln cents in 1982. The only way to tell which is which is by their weight. large-scale melt of old Lincoln cents for their copper continued for decades subsequently. This forced the Mint to waste time and money to make replacement cents. Congress last outlawed melting pennies and nickels in 2007 .
Famous Rare Memorial Cents
Since billions of Lincoln Memorial cents were made each year, there are no rare dates. rather, it is attention-getting and rare mint errors that make memorial cents valuable. The 1969-S DDO is celebrated for its highly visible die doubling on the words “ Liberty ” and “ In God We Trust. ” An highly fine XF40 is the lowest grade 1969-S DDO recorded on price guides, at $ 13,300. A thoroughly mid-range uncirculated grade is worth $ 32,000. Another popular Lincoln Memorial cent error is the 1984 “ double auricle ” DDO. This coin displays dramatic doubling on Lincoln ‘s earlobe. While not extremely rare ( a break one is $ 20, and uncirculated $ 140 ) it is a long-familiar and democratic coin .
2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cents
2009 marked the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln ‘s parturition. naturally, the Lincoln penny was share of the celebration. The Lincoln penny had had only one invention change in 100 years. The Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced the Wheat reversion in 1959, for Lincoln ‘s hundred-and-fiftieth birthday. alternatively of merely making a raw revoke design to last for the next 50 years, four commemorative designs for 2009 were struck. Each invert design depicted an crucial time in Lincoln ‘s life . Bicentennial Lincoln cent design. image : President Lincoln ‘s Cottage Blog The first mint was titled “ Birth and Early childhood in Kentucky. ” It featured a representation of the frontier logarithm cabin where Lincoln was born in 1809. The second coin was “ formative Years in Indiana. ” It showed a adolescent Lincoln taking a break from splitting fence rails from logs by reading a reserve. Lincoln was largely self-taught, as there were few schools on the frontier. The third gear coin represented Lincoln ‘s “ Professional Life in Illinois. ” It shows a new Lincoln in movement of the State Legislature in Springfield, IL. Lincoln practiced jurisprudence in Springfield and served in the state legislature before being elected to Congress in 1846. The fourth and final 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial cent was “ Presidency in Washington, DC. ” It showcases the incomplete dome of the US Capitol under construction. Lincoln took his oath of function in March 1861 on the steps of the Capitol, with the bare dome towering behind him .
Lincoln Cent Shield Reverse
Lincoln cent ( Shield reverse ). trope : PCGS
The current Lincoln cent is the Shield Reverse. It was introduced in 2010, after the Lincoln Bicentennial cents. The law authorizing the newly permanent design stated that it “ shall bear an picture emblematic of President Lincoln ‘s preservation of the United States of America as a one and joined state. ” The contest for the new blueprint fielded 18 entries. The Union Shield design by Lyndall Bass was chosen. The shield evokes the style of the mid-1800s and Civil War era. The thirteen vertical stripes represent the original Thirteen Colonies. They come together to form a solid cap to the harbor, as the 13 colonies came together to form the United States. The national motto “ E Pluribus Unum ” is inscribed on the carapace cap ; “ Out of Many, One. ” A big coil in front of the shield bears the appellation ONE CENT. The Union Shield Lincoln cent is expected to remain the one-cent mint design until 2059. That is, unless the efforts to abolish the penny succeed before then !
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