In 2009, the United States Mint is issuing four different one-cent coins to honor the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth and the 100th anniversary of the first issuance of the Lincoln cent. While the obverse continues to bear the familiar likeness of President Lincoln currently on the one-cent coin, the reverse has four different designs, each representing a different aspect of Lincoln’s life.
The early collectors of the 2009 Lincoln cent seem to have made a wise investment, due to the slow start in circulation of the coin, with some coins reportedly going for more than $1 each. It seems that many people are cashing in their piggy banks these days and the surplus of old coins in circulation has delayed the arrival of the newly minted ones. Experts say those prices should come down as the new pennies find their way into the economy.
The new one-cent reverse designs will be issued at approximately three-month intervals throughout 2009. The Secretary of the Treasury approved the designs for the coins after consultation with the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, and after review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
Reverse inscriptions will continue to include “United States of America,” E Pluribus Unum” and “One Cent.” And the four 2009 Abraham Lincoln one-cent coins will maintain the same metal content (2.5% copper, balance zinc) as the current one-cent coin.
At the conclusion of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Program, the 2010 (and beyond) one-cent coin will feature a reverse design that will be emblematic of President Lincoln’s preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country.
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The first coin of the 2009 series features a log cabin to represent Lincoln’s birthplace and early childhood in Hogdenville, Kentucky. |
| The second coin will show his formative years in Indiana |
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The thirds coin depicts Lincoln’s professional life in Illinois |
| The fourth coin will feature Lincoln’s presidency in Washington, D.C. |
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