The Lincoln Penny Turns 100 Years Old: Do You Have Any 1909 Lincoln Cents?

A Basic History Of The Penny
In 1909, when the first Lincoln cents were struck by the United States Mint, millions of Americans applauded the coin commemorating a man who kept our nation whole during the Civil War and proclaimed the freedom of millions of slaves before being assassinated in 1865.

Yet, for all the public admiration of the new Lincoln penny, there was also some public discourse over the coin. Primarily, outcry came from those jeering the prominent display of designer Victor David Brenner's initials -- VDB -- on the "tails" (reverse) side of the coin.

The U.S. Mint quickly removed the initials before restoring them elsewhere on the coin in 1918. Today one can still see a tiny inscription of "VDB" just under Lincoln's shoulder.

The Lincoln penny has seen other changes over the years:

In 1943, the Lincoln cent was produced in steel for to help ration copper for the war effort.

In 1959, the coin's original reverse design, two wheat stalks, was replaced with an image of the Lincoln Memorial.

In 1982, the composition of the Lincoln penny was changed from primarily copper to mostly zinc, with a thin outer copper plating.

More about the 1909 penny

The Lincoln Penny: Beloved Icon or Monetarily Worthless?

The Lincoln cent has seen its glory days. Once capable of singlehandedly buying candy, getting people into some arcades and parlors, and serving as token payment for any number of trinkets and treats, the Lincoln penny today is snubbed by many.

Yet, despite frequent occasions of being discarded in the trash, considered "unworthy" of plucking off a sidewalk, and disregarded as monetarily worthless by scores of people, the Lincoln cent still manages to live another day.

Having survived numerous attempts of elimination from the American monetary system, the Lincoln penny continues to face threats due to rising production costs. For example, it costs almost 2 cents to produce a single 1-cent coin. Yet, what politician, group, or administration would want to be responsible for striking away from our nation's economy an historically beloved coin which, annually produced by the billions, continues to honor a man widely considered the greatest president ever to serve our nation?

While the future of the Lincoln cent as a circulating coin continues to be cloudy, the significance of this economic icon is unquestionable, and the love and gratitude our nation has for the great man depicted on the coin is undying.

Lincoln Cent Commemoratives in 2009

In 2009, the U.S. Mint will be honoring the bicentennial of President Lincoln's birth with a special commemorative series of 4 different circulating Lincoln cents bearing images of this historic commander-in-chief at various points in his private and public life.

Then, the Lincoln penny's reverse will be permanently redesigned in 2010. This means Lincoln cents in 2008 will be the last to bear the Lincoln Memorial, which has been seen on our pennies since 1959.


For More InformationThere are many great penny links to visit on the Internet.

One place every penny lover should check out is Americans for Common Sense.

A page on that website was a resource for the part of this article relating to the new 2009 Lincoln cent and will provide you some more information about the exciting redesigns to occur.

If you want some more information about the history of the Lincoln cent, check out History of the Lincoln Penny.

Finally, you can always stay up to date on the latest coin news from the U.S. Mint.